Artemis Xenoi: Why Hello Young Friends!
by Feleda
Summary: Artemis moves with her family to England from the US, and transfers to Hogwarts in her sixth year. There, she meets the Marauders among other people, and of course, adventure, mischief, new friends, and romance ensues!
1. Moving

Artemis Xenoi stared at her parents in shock. "What do you mean we have to move to England?' Artemis finally asked after a few moments of silence.

"What part of it don't you understand? Your father now has the chance of a lifetime to work for the preservation of what small population of English dragons are left," their mother, Moa, explained patiently from across the dinner table.

Artemis bit her lip in frustration. She was happy for her father, she really was, but moving to England… and just before her sixth year at the West Coast Academy of Magic was about to begin… It was a bit much. However, she could understand her father's enthusiasm entirely, she herself being rather fond of both magical and non-magical creatures. She'd have to leave all her best friends behind though… Ruth, Hartwin, Dakota, Cara… how was she going to make it in a foreign country without them. And she'd have to make all new friends once she got to her new school… what was it called again? Hogwalls?

"When are we moving?" she asked, hoping it wouldn't be for at least a week so that she could break the news to her friends and make sure that they would keep in touch. Especially Ruth, since she had known since they were in diapers.

"Next Friday. We'll be traveling by the International Portkey Network, you know," her father said happily. "Cheer up, Artemis. Look at it this way,, you can start all over again once-"

"Dad! I'm not depressed or anything! Sheesh!" Artemis snapped, rather uncharacteristically. "I'm done eating now," she announced in a calmer tone. "May I please be excused?"

"Of course," Moa said.

Artemis stood up and went upstairs to her room to mull things over. There was definitely no way of getting out of moving, and no way on earth that she would even think of talking her father out of his dream job. Drake had been dreaming of this sort of thing as far back as Artemis could remember, and she couldn't ever find it in her heart to even think of denying him it.

Laying down on her bed, Artemis stretched out, putting her hands behind her head. She glanced over at the moving poster of her idol, Sora Kanzaka, the Japanese aerial gymnast. Artemis' stomach sank. She had been heavily looking forward to being able to compete in the tournament between North American wizarding schools this year, as she was finally old enough to participate. "Damn it," she sighed softly. Her Siamese cat, Salem jumped on the bed and walked up her stomach to poke his black face into hers inquisitively.

Artemis absent-mindedly stroked his gleaming cream colored coat, running a hand up his black tail. "What do you think of going to England, dear Salem?" she asked him. In response, the cat rubbed his chin against hers, purring. Smiling, Artemis felt her spirits return slightly. Well, one thing was for certain- she wouldn't have to leave all of her friends behind. Looking around her room though, her eyes fell upon her cluttered desk. Pushing Salem off of her, she walked over to grab some parchment, her ink, and a quill. She took the items over to her bed, and began writing a letter to her friend, Ruth.

_Dear Ruth,_

_How are you? Things are pretty good over here. Well, actually, life could be a bit better. My dad just got his dream job- working to preserve what little dragons are left in England, and the surrounding British Isles; personally, I wouldn't be surprised if it encompassed all of Europe. That's the good news. Unfortunately for this to be happening, as you might have already guessed ,is that he will be transferring to __England__, along with the entire family moving there. Personally, I'm not thrilled with this idea at all, but there's no way I can possibly get out of it._

_It totally sucks! Just when life was getting good at W.C.A.M. too… I told you how Alden and I are keeping in touch this summer, and I was really hoping that we would maybe hook-up in school. Guess that's not going to be happening anytime soon though. Damnit. I also won't be able to compete in the aerial gymnastics this year- maybe they have something like it over in __England__? I know that they have Quidditch there as well, which is all well and fine, but it's definitely not the same. Besides, I don't think they'd be too keen on letting a "Yank" on their team…_

_Gods, Ruth! What am I going to do without you guys over there? Hopefully I'll make some new friends, but don't worry, you'll always be number one! We'll have to hang out before I leave- which is next Friday by the way. Write soon!_

_Love always, your friend forever,_

_Artemis_

Artemis finished the letter with their usual salutation. She looked over it for spelling errors, since she was a stickler for that sort of thing, rolled it up, sealed it, and wrote Ruth's name on the front. Artemis then began to write two similar letters to her two other good friends that she had met at school whom she shared a dorm with, Cara and Dakota, and then one to her gay male friend, Hartwin. She joked to all three of them about the possibility of hooking up with a cute English boy. Grabbing the letters up, she walked over to her owl, Storm.

"I need you to deliver these, Storm," Artemis explained, tying them up to her leg. Luckily, Storm was a rather large barn owl, so the letters made very little difference to her. "They're to Ruth, Cara, Hartwin, and Dakota, so make sure that they get them, 'k?" With a hoot of comprehension, Storm was flying off into the night. Always curious about the night sky, which she loved, Artemis stuck her head out of the window to glance at the sky. It was a deep black, letting the trillions stars easily illuminate themselves along night's canvas. Smiling, Artemis caught site of the full moon. Tonight, it was a shining brightly, which helped to cheer her spirits- Artemis and her friends had always enjoyed running around down by the beach during the full moon. Once more, Salem made his presence known by jumping up on the windowsill to accompany her. He solemnly gazed out at the night sky, and Artemis noticed how the stars reflected off his brilliant blue eyes.

Artemis had always wanted blue eyes, she couldn't help but think. Hers were a light grey, and in her opinion, very boring. Come to think of it, she found everything about herself boring. She had elbow length, wavy brown hair which had golden streaks in it bleached from hours out in the sun, and a light splattering of freckles over her tan skin. Well, alright, she thought, the one good thing about my tan is that I have a good one that I didn't need to work a charm for, or concoct a potion to make. Other than that though, she found herself to be too tall (although in fact, she was only five and a half feet tall), and then there was her scar… Shivering, she ran a hand along her back where it was. The ugly thing ran the length of her back, in a jagged, harsh pattern and was about two and a half inches wide at its widest point.

A knock at the door sent Artemis out of her thinking. "Yes, come in," she answered, turning around.

The door opened, and her father stepped inside. Smiling, he asked, "I'm not bothering you, am I?"

Artemis noticed that he sounded a little hurt. He most likely thought that she was mad and blaming him for her drastic change in lifestyle. Well, technically speaking, her logical inner voice said, he really is. But it wasn't intentional! piped in her voice of reason. So true, Artemis thought. "No, of course not, Dad. What's up?" she asked, smiling.

"You just seemed a bit upset, that's all," he told her.

Opening her mouth to speak, Artemis was silenced by her father.

"No, no, let me put in my two cents about this. I understand how you feel completely, you know how my family moved from the East to the West Coast when I was in school. Granted, it was still the same country, and I was a bit younger then you, but I still know how it feels to be the new kid on the block. And I understand that you'll be upset, so I won't go into any lectures about it being a learning experience or anything," he joked.

Artemis broadened her grin a bit. Her father always knew how to make things better. "Can I talk now?" she asked.

Drake laughed. "Of course."

"I'm not mad at you at all, Dad. I know that this is what you've wanted for a long time, so I'm not going to go and rain on your parade at all," Artemis began. "It's just a bit of a shock, you know? Not seeing my friends again, moving to a new country, new school… not exactly an easy transition." She waited for her father to comment, but he only looked at her and nodded, not wanting to interrupt her. "And, even though I don't necessarily want to, I need to look on the bright side, right? I mean, it is England, and they have loads of good history about witches and wizards there. I'll be in my element!" She laughed.

"Well," Drake said, "I'm glad that you are seeing the bright side of things. Besides, you get to start new all over, right? That's a bit of a perker. And there's always the summer holidays to visit your friends," he reminded her. Artemis had completely forgotten about that, so it was a bit of a pleasant surprise to be reminded of something so obvious. "And," he said, walking over to join his daughter by her window, "I hear they have a great Astronomy class at Hogwarts, and I know how much you're into that. And the school's an old castle- saw a picture of it, and it looks absolutely fabulous. It has a lake right outside, and a forest as well. Although I hear that it's out of bounds," he added with a frown. "Speaking of Hogwarts, you should be receiving your letter any day now, so keep an eye out for the owl-post."

"Right, dad," Artemis replied with a nod. At least the school grounds themselves sounded interesting.

"Well, 'night Artemis," he said, squeezing her shoulder with a smile.

Looking up, Artemis replied back, "'Night," as her father left her room.

Glancing at the clock, she noticed that it was getting rather late, and Artemis has the sensation that she would be kept quite busy until next Friday. Going over to her wall calendar, she marked how many days were left until she had to leave for England. Five. That's not very long at all, she thought, getting undressed and putting her nightgown on. Climbing into bed, she was soon joined by a purring Salem, who curled up on top of her head, kneading his paws into her hair. A few moments later, Artemis went to sleep.

The next few days were full of packing, making arrangements for things to be brought over, cleaning the house, and receiving house calls from various relatives to wish the Xenoi family a fond farewell. Going through her room, Artemis found a lot of junk to throw out, many little treasures she thought had been lost such as photos, cards, and trinkets from her friends and close family. She had filled up a quite a few boxes with her possessions, and was just sitting on one pondering how it was all going to be sent over to England (she figured either by Muggle methods, or a shrinking spell) when Storm flew in thru the open window.

"Storm!" Artemis joyfully cried, standing up and crossing the room to relieve the bird of her burdens. Attached to one leg were three letters of almost equal length. She opened the one from Dakota and Cara first.

_Artemis-_

_We're vacationing together down in __Mexico__, so we figured we could save Storm the effort of having two carry one more letter with her back up to __California__._

_Neither of us can believe it! __England__? That's really cool that you're going, but really sucks that it's to live, not to vacation. Gods, what will we do without the sole voice of reason in the dorm? Unfortunately, we can't make it up in time to say good bye in person, which totally sucks, because we're going to miss you like hell. Don't worry, we're sending you a going away present, but through a different owl, so we think he may be arriving a bit later._

_On a slightly lighter note, __Mexico__ rocks! It would've been fun if you and Ruth could've come. We  know how you love history (can't tell why…) and there's lots of good stuff here to keep you busy._

_Well, keep in touch!_

_AFA,_

_Dakota                                    Cara_

_PS- if you snag any cute English boys, you know you have to tell us! Or if you see any you don't like, send them our way! Pen-pals are always fun!_

Artemis smiled. She had to admit, Dakota and Cara were rather shallow most of the time, only really caring about looks and boys, but they were definitely wonderful people to be around, and she would miss them. It was too bad she couldn't see them before she went.

Next, she read he letter from Hartwin.

_Dearest Artemis,_

_I'm so sorry to hear that you'll be leaving for __England__ soon. Don't worry though, Ruth and I plan on visiting you soon! And by the way, I can totally see through that "cute English boys" façade- you're definitely bummed to leave Alden here. Don't worry, I won't take him- besides, he's not my type! _

_Point is though, we're all going to miss you. I won't go on and on here, because I'll be seeing you in a few days, so we can actually talk. Until then-_

_Love, Hartwin_

Artemis read it again, laughing out loud at the part about Alden, and glad to hear that she could be expecting visitors soon. Next and last was the letter from Ruth.

_Dear Artemis,_

_Well, I'm not going to waste ink and parchment to tell you how much of a good friend you've been my entire life. You know you've been wonderful, so there's no point in boosting your ego any more. Just kidding! Really though, as you may already know, Hartwin and I are planning a visit so I can gush then. I will say this though- don't you dare fall out of touch!_

_Love always, your friend forever,_

_Ruth_

Artemis was a bit surprised. Normally, Ruth was a funny, chatty girl, but this letter was very brief, and quite to the point. The part that excited her most though was the news about she and Hartwin coming over to visit. Hartwin she had known very well since her first year, since they both had all their classes together and were in the same house. It was nice to know that her two best buds cared and were coming over soon.

Carefully, she folded each letter in turn, and placed them in a box full of other letters and notes passed during class.

The next day, the day before she left, Ruth and Hartwin's promise came true. They pair came over around six o'clock, and found Artemis in her room dusting off empty shelves. Without announcing themselves, the pair just walked in.

"Jinkies, your room looks so weird without the posters and stuff on the walls," Ruth observed.

"It is kinda odd, isn't it?" added Hartwin, sitting on the edge of the bed.

Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for knocking, guys," she joked, taking a seat in her desk chair. Ruth leaned casually against the wall.

"Hey, we're all friends, right? Besides, I've seen you naked before, and Hartwin's gay, so he wouldn't care if we walked in on you naked," Ruth commented dryly.

Hartwin gave her an exasperated look, then turned to Artemis. "Your parents said that this is your last day in the States before you leave tomorrow."

Artemis sighed. "Yeah, it is."

"Are you done packing?" asked Ruth.

"Yes, as you can tell," Artemis waved a hand behind her in the room.

"Shall we give them to her then, Ruth?" Hartwin asked the redhead.

Smiling, Ruth nodded. "May as well." Reaching into the bag behind her, Ruth pulled out three wrapped gifts. "These are, obviously, for you," she said, walking over to sit on the bed with Hartwin. She patted the spot between them. Artemis got up and quietly sat down between them. Ruth had handed Hartwin a green package, and she herself had a blue one with silver stars on it, and had placed the elegantly wrapped gold one behind her. "Do you want to start, Hartwin, or should I?"

"I will, if you don't mind, Ruth," he said.

Artemis noticed that they were using somewhat strained voices.

"Of course not. Please begin."

"Right. Well, Artemis as I said in my letter, there were things I wanted to say to you in person then on a silly piece of parchment, so…" he began. "First off, as a friend, you totally rock and have always been there for me, from day one. Um, I hate bringing it up, but you've been a major support factor through the whole coming out process, so thanks a lot for that. I, and everyone else who knows you that you have to leave behind, is going to miss you a lot. Erm… you know I've never been good at these speech things…" he scratched the back of his head, making his short black hair stand up.

Artemis smiled. Although she would never say it aloud, it really didn't have to be a speech, and she really didn't feel like she had to be made that big of a fuss over at all. I mean, she thought, it wasn't as though she was off to her death by going to England.

"Anyways," Hartwin continued, gathering his stride once again, "Here's your present from me," he said, handing her the squishy looking green package. Solemnly, she took it from him, shooting Hartwin a quick smile. Ruth started laughing.

"Goodness, if we were any more serious, you'd think that Artemis was going to the morgue!" Ruth giggled, wrapping a friendly arm around Artemis' shoulders. "Lighten up you two!"

Artemis scowled. "Well you two are the ones that walked in, acting like I'm off to my doom in England, you know! Being all somber, and going, 'You tell her first.'" Grinning, she added, "The effort is completely appreciated though, you guys, thanks!" she laughed, and grabbed them both around the shoulders.

Artemis' laughter was infectious, and Hartwin and Ruth felt obliged to join in. After about a minute, he prodded her. "Go on and open the present!"

"Alright, alright…" carefully, Artemis unwrapped it. She always was meticulous about that type of thing- she never ripped presents open, even from a very young age. Pushing the paper aside, Artemis held up a beautiful black scarf and matching gloves. They were rich in color, and the scarf had little silvers stars and moon embroidered on it.

"Apparently, it snows in England during the winter, so I thought I'd best send you over well prepared," Hartwin told her, shrugging.

"Yeah, I think it does. Thanks Hartwin, they're gorgeous! And you know that I do love wearing scarves when it gets a bit chilly out," Artemis said, giving him a hug. She draped the scarf across her neck, and set the gloves behind her on the bed with the green paper.

Ruth handed Artemis the present from her. "Look, the paper almost matches your scarf!" she joked, laughing.

Artemis smiled, holding it up by the scarf. "Yeah, I guess it does!" As she began opening Ruth's present, she noticed that it was box-like in shape. With the paper off, she opened a wooden box to find a beautiful, brand new, silver collapsible telescope. Not being able to help it, Artemis gasped in joy. "Oh, Ruth! It's totally outta sight!" she cried, turning to look at her best friend. Ruth smiled, obviously looking very pleased with herself.

"So, you like it then?" she asked. "I remembered you telling me before how gold ones are usually too heavy, and too soft and bendable, so I made sure not to get you one of those."

"I'm surprised you listened," Artemis couldn't help herself from saying. "Normally, you just ignore me when I go off on tangents like that!" she laughed.

It was true though. Ruth was a Beater in Quidditch, and one of the most intense athletes Artemis had ever known. Ruth, although very funny, took training very seriously, often putting it as a higher priority then her school work, and even before her physical appearance, Artemis thought. Ruth had cut her hair, going from what was once elbow length, thick, and curly- to short, and what was now very straight and right under her ears. It still maintained the deep red though, of course.

Ruth shrugged at Artemis' comment. "I don't totally zone out when you go off, you know." Smiling, Artemis bent over and hugged her best friend. "We really are going to- goodness, Artemis dear, you have an owl beating against your window."

Looking up, Artemis noticed the large brown owl flapping its wings against her bedroom window, obviously wanting to get in.

"I got it," Hartwin said, already standing up. He crossed the room and opened the window, stepping back as he did so to allow the owl to zoom in. It perched atop Storm's vacant cage- she was out hunting- and stuck out a leg with an official looking letter on it. Carefully, Hartwin took it off and handed it to Artemis. "It's for you, obviously."

Glancing at the envelope, Artemis saw her name written in green ink in a very fancy looking fashion.

"Oh! Open it!" Ruth eagerly cried.

"Alright…" said Artemis, carefully slitting open the back of the envelope. Out came two pieces of paper. She read it silently as Hartwin and Ruth read over her shoulder:

HOGWARTS SCHOOL

_Of_ WITCHCRAFT _and _WIZARDRY

Headmaster: ALBUS DUMBLEDORE

(_Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Soc., Chf. Warlock,_

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confederation of Wizards_)

Dear Ms. Xenoi,

We are pleased to inform you that we have received your application for transfer, and that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Although you are a sixth year, this will most obviously be your first year at Hogwarts, and we hope to make it a smooth transition. The only requirement that you will need to make when you arrive on the grounds is to be properly sorted with the other first years, although you will not need to travel up to the castle with them.

Term begins on September 1.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

_Deputy Headmistress_

Artemis look over the letter once again, briefly. "Well, the Headmaster certainly has the credentials," she finally said.

Ruth snorted. "Good observation, Artemis."

"Let's see the supply list," prompted Hartwin.

"Alright." Artemis pulled out a longer piece of paper, that had the same heading as the first, and a hastily scribbled note in the top corner:

Do not feel the need to buy new things if you already have the same type as is required. This is to make sure that you have the same equipment as everyone else.

-M. McGonagall

UNIFORM

Three sets of plain black robes (black) 

Another note was scribbled here: Just go to Madam Malkin's in Diagon Alley, and she'll set you up.

One plain pointed hat (black) for day wear One pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar) One winter cloak (black, silver fastenings) 

Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS

All students should have a copy of each of the following:

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 6),_ by Miranda Goshawk

_A History of Magic_ by Bathilda Bagshot

_Magical Theory_ by Adalbert Waffling

_Transfiguration for the Advanced_ by Vivian Jones

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi_ by Phyllida Spore

_Magical Drafts and Potions_ by Arsenius Jigger

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander

_Advanced Techniques for the Defender_ by June Knight

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand

1cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)

1 set glass or crystal phials

1 telescope

1 set brass scales

Students also may bring an owl OR a cat OR a toad

"Seems pretty standard," Ruth observed. "Nothing too out of the ordinary, so don't worry! They won't be expecting an outrageous amount of ability out of you!"

Artemis couldn't help but think though how embarrassing it would be to show up and be the worst in all of her classes. She made a mental note to brush up a bit before she left to go to Hogwarts. "Oh, what's this?" she pulled out a train ticket with golf leaf writing on it. "Platform 9 ¾? For the Hogwarts express? I guess this is how I get to school," she thought out loud.

Her friends shrugged. "Looks that way," said Hartwin,

"What about my other present?" Artemis suddenly asked out of nowhere.

Ruth snorted. Artemis scowled at her. Although she wouldn't tell Ruth it was very un-ladylike to make noises like that, it was a rather rude noise. "You don't get to open that until you're on the train to Hogwarts," Ruth informed Artemis. Hartwin nodded his agreement. Artemis shrugged. No both, it would at least give her something to do- goodness knows how long the ride would take.

The three spent the rest of the evening speculating what life would be like in England, and going over past adventures at W.C.A.M. At eight thirty, Moa came upstairs and had to shoo Ruth and Hartwin away. "We have an early Portkey tomorrow morning, and I want Artemis to get in some sleep before we have to go."

Bidding her friends a fond farewell, Artemis promised to write frequently, and to tell them all about England and her new life there. Eventually, she went to sleep, thinking about tomorrow's travels.


	2. Onward to England!

**Chapter Two: Onward to ****England**

Artemis was woken early the next morning by her mother. Quickly, she threw on some clothes, ate some breakfast, and got Salem into his basket, and Storm into her cage for travel. All of their other luggage had already been sent overseas, and was evidently waiting for them at their new house in England.

At six o'clock sharp, Artemis and her family went by Floo powder to the International Portkey Network.

Still slightly dizzy, she stepped out of the fireplace, Salem's basket in hand- Moa was coming with Storm. Her father Drake had gone before her, and was waiting just a few steps outside the fireplace. He brushed a bit of soot from her hair. "Traveling by Floo isn't the best, is it?" he joked.

"No, and I can't wait until I'm seventeen so I can Apparate."

"That won't be for sometime now," Moa said from behind them, stepping from the fireplace, Storm's cage in hand along with her purse. "Here, our admission tickets for the Portkey," she said, pulling them out of her purse and handing them to Drake and Artemis.

Artemis glanced at it. Fancy enough for you…? She couldn't help but think, looking at the light blue ticket with silver writing.  She put it in the back pocket of her jeans (Artemis usually wore Muggle clothes when not in school), and readjusted her traveling cloak.

Drake checked his watch. "Oh, drat! We need to find the terminal and go! We only have about five minutes, and you know how picky Portkeys are…" he trailed off, looking around the building to see which way there terminal number (which was 12) was. "Ah! There we go! One thru twenty to the right. Let's get going, Moa, Artemis." Drake led the way.

Artemis was finally able to look around. It really wasn't that exciting, she thought. She had been hoping that since this was an international Portkey station, that there'd be more interesting people. Of course, what Artemis counted as the boring people walking about, would normally be considered quite interesting by everyday standards. There was the usual variety of witches and wizards- wearing everything from traditional clothes  of loose robes, and tall pointy hats in all colors and styles, to wearing normal Muggle clothes. She had been hoping to see a lot more variety, but was quite disappointed. The building itself was rather dull too. The usual, color-coded flashing signs, and registry places weren't anything out of the ordinary at all. She allowed Drake to usher her to a counter, behind which a tall, official looking wizard with a pencil-thin blonde moustache stood.

"Tickets, please," he asked.

The Xenoi family handed their tickets to the man, who glanced at them, and then said, "Step through please, the Portkey is a teacup. And make sure you all are holding onto it, and whatever else it is that you want to take along." He cast a disapproving eye over Salem's basket, Storm's cage, and Artemis' package (which was in fact her present). Artemis scowled up at him as Moa pushed her through to the Portkey.

"Don't be rude," Moa hissed under her breath to Artemis.

"Well, he shouldn't give us looks like that. We _are_ allowed to bring carry-ons, you know," Artemis said matter-of-factly.

Moa sighed. "Don't be difficult, Artemis." 

"I'm not!" she protested, but a withering glance from her mother made her end all protests. It was that special time again, and Artemis was in a bad mood from the combined effects of that and having to be woken up so early.

In the center of the little room, there was a table, and in the middle of which stood a single, white parceling teacup. Her father snorted. "When did they get a sense of humor in the Transportation Unit?" Artemis eyed the teacup. It was rather ironic.

One other traveler was in the room; a tall teenage boy of Artemis' age, with white-blonde hair and frosty blue eyes dressed in a black cloak and robes. He was alright looking, she couldn't help but find herself thinking. If he didn't have the bored, snotty look on his face, she then added.

"Alright, about twenty seconds to go," Drake said, once more checking his watch. "Best assemble ourselves. Are you traveling alone, young man? Or are there parents or relatives with you?" he asked the boy.

"I'm traveling by myself," he said, standing up. Artemis noted his English accent. I wonder if her goes to Hogwarts, she thought.

Everyone gathered around the cup, and placed a finger on it.

"Five… four… three… two… one…" Drake counted down.

Artemis felt a strong pull around her navel as the Portkey transported her, her family, and the blonde teenage boy to England. She felt her feet hit solid ground again, and her stomach flip upside down- Portkey traveling always made her quesy.

"Hello, and welcome to England!" boomed a tall, burly black man with a heavy English accent. He came over and shook hands with Drake.

"Hello, Theo!" Drake said to the man.  Artemis assumed that this was a co-worker of her father's. She shyly stood behind her mother. Even at sixteen, she was still nervous to meet new people. She watched the blonde boy walk out to greet his equally blonde, and very pure-blood looking parents. "Well, this is the family," Drake continued, gesturing at them. "My wife, Moa."

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs.," he said, shaking her hand.

"And this is my daughter, Artemis. She'll be going to Hogwarts in September," Drake added.

"Ah, Hogwarts it is, then? I went there many years ago- in the Ravenclaw House I was. Good house, but I expect you'll be sorted just like anyone else, and then, who knows where you'll go from there?" he said, shaking her hand. He released his grip and turned back to Drake. "May as well get over to your new home," he said. "We can take the Floo Network- you do know the address, correct?" he asked.

"Of course. Care to stay for dinner?" asked Drake, as Theo led them over to an unused fireplace among the long line of them along the wall.

"I'd be delighted," Theo replied. He picked up a bag of Floo powder from the shelf above the fire and handed it to Drake. "After you."

Drake stood inside the empty fireplace with a fistful of powder in hand, and said in a clear voice, "Number 53, Squid Row," and dropped the powder on the floor, causing green flames to swirl around him.

Artemis turned to her mother. "_Squid_ Row?" she asked.

Moa shrugged. "Those English," she joked. "Your turn, dear."

The rest was rather uneventful. Everyone got to Number 52, Squid Row just fine. The new house wasn't that different from their last one, Artemis noticed. It was out in the country, along a dusty road (she wasn't quite certain why it even had a name to it, much less why it was number 52), with two stories, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen/dining room/ living room, white walls, and in good shape.

Dinner was uneventful as well, and Theo left at 8 o'clock- Apperating home.

"Well, that was a nice dinner!" Moa said, pointing her wand at the dishes which had been gathered in the sink, and making them wash themselves. "And Theo's very friendly. Artemis, you should be getting to bed soon, tomorrow's August 31, which means it's the last day to buy your new school supplies and uniform. And we'll have to find Diagon Alley- that's what Theo said it was called, right, dear?" she asked Drake, then flicked her wand to rinse the dishes in fresh water.

"Righto. Shall I take her tomorrow, or do you want to?"

"Mom, Dad, I can go by myself," Artemis said in an exasperated tone. Honestly, she wasn't stupid, and London wasn't that far, and Theo had told them that she could just use the Floo Network to go there. "Besides, I need to get to know places by myself," she added.

Moa and Drake exchanged looks of parental worry and concern. "Well… if it's alright with your mother, it's fine by me," Drake said.

"And, I suppose if your father is fine with it, I'm alright as well. Besides, it's gonna take a bit to unpack everything," Moa said, gesturing at all the boxes.

Artemis smiled. "Solid, you guys!" And it was- she would be able to wander around, without her mother dragging her into every clothing store in Diagon Alley to try on frilly and girly colored robes, and her father wouldn't stop to google in any pet stores. True, Artemis did love animals, but when you're forced to watch them for five minutes, in almost absolute silence, then it does get a tad dull.

After grabbing a few of her boxes, Artemis went upstairs to establish which room she wanted. It wasn't that difficult, considering that they were all the same, and since her parent's had first choice anyways, she was only left with two options. She chose a room down the hall from her parents that had a large window, for sky-viewing.  Too tired to do much else, Artemis made her bed, set out clothes for the next morning, and went to bed.

***

So, that's the second chapter. Now, I'm going to be needing to ask you reviewers/readers out there some questions. First up:

Artemis is already going to be meeting X character tomorrow at Diagon Alley, (and no, it's not a Marauder, though you're free to guess who) so that's settled. But, who should the first Marauder she meets be? I kinda have an idea, but I'd like to see what other people have to say as well. Also, any good prank ideas? Send 'em this way! Thank you, and please review.


	3. Diagon Alley

Because of the nine hour time change, Artemis woke-up around ten in the morning. "Jinkies!" she cried, jumping out of bed and throwing on hr clothes. Quickly, she brushed and tied back her long hair before dashing downstairs, Salem pattering at her feet. Downstairs, Moa and Rake were sipping their coffee, remnants of breakfast in front of them.

"I was wondering when you were going to get up," Moa calmly said, as Artemis dashed in the room.

"Well, I'm up now. Dad, Mom, I need some gold, please," Artemis asked her parents.

"What about breakfast." Her father frowned. Drake had always thought breakfast was the most important meal of the day.

"I can grab it at Diagon Alley," she told them.

Drake shrugged. "True. Here," he said, tossing her a bag of galleons, knuts, and sickles. "This ought to cover it. They're still transferring our account over to Gringotts."

"OK…" said Artemis, not interested at all. She went over to the fireplace, grabbed a handful of Floo powder, stepped inside the fireplace, threw it on the ground, and clearly said, "Diagon Alley!" A burst of flames, and a slightly queasy stomach later, Artemis found herself standing in the fireplace of some form of pub. At first, she wondered if she had made a mistake, then remembered that (back in the US, at least), all Floo Networks were regulated and had to be registered so mistakes like landing in the middle of a Muggle fireplace wouldn't occur. Then she caught site of quite a few pointy hats, and determined that no mistake had been made. After all, it was quite logical that the British Ministry wouldn't have dozens of separate Floo Networks along Diagon Alley- the confusion would be great. Suddenly, she remembered that she was still standing in the middle of the fireplace, and was also starting to attract some stares. Also, she couldn't possibly be the only one using the Floo Network to get here, and an incoming party may land on her at any moment.

Artemis decided to take the opportunity to step out of the fireplace. She was right by the bar, and a witch with long blonde hair looked over at her kindly. "Why, hello dear," she said, smiling and showing Artemis all of her crooked teeth all at once.

Artemis almost reeled from her breath, but composed herself. "He-hello. I'm new to England, and I'm trying to get to Diagon Alley…" she began. May as well get this conversation over with as soon as I can, she thought.

The blonde witch nodded thoughtfully. "Well, you've made it- sort of. This is the Leaky Cauldron, and I guess that you could say it's an entrance to Diagon Alley," she explained to Artemis.

"I see. Well, which way _is_ Diagon Alley then?" Artemis politely asked.

Grunting, the witch picked herself up. Artemis had the suspicion that she was considerably older then she looked. "Come around back with me, and I'll show you, dearie," said the old witch, walking to a door. Artemis obligingly followed. The witch led her to a brick wall. Bending down, she counted three bricks from the bottom, and two bricks across. There, she tapped her wand lightly on said brick, and suddenly the wall began rearranging itself to form a pathway into a bright, crowded street full of wizarding families. "Well, there you go," said the witch, gesturing out with an arm. "And now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be getting back to my drink now…" she walked back.

"Thank you!" Artemis called back at her, then quickly stepped through the archway. The bricks immediately whizzed back into place behind her. Pulling out her supply list, Artemis looked at what she needed to buy still: three sets of black robes, a winter cloak with silver fastenings, and all the text books- although it was similar courses, different texts were used. Artemis also needed to replenish her potion ingredients supply, get some cat treats for Salem, owl treats for Storm, some new quills, more parchment, and another bottle of ink. Plus the bits of groceries that Moa said she needed Artemis to pick up while she was out. Looking over the list, Artemis thought that perhaps it wouldn't of been such a bad idea to bring a parent. She decided that it would most likely be best to stop by a pet store first, since it was always a nuisance to have to walk around cages of sometimes dangerous beasts with shopping bags in tow. From past experience, Artemis was also familiar with the fact that some animals had a tendency to bite at bags, which was never no good.

Looking around, Artemis tried finding a pet supply store of sorts. She didn't notice how lost she must have looked until someone by her shoulder softly said, "Hello, there."

Artemis almost jumped. Looking down she spotted a girl with curly black hair tied back in a braid who went up to Artemis' shoulders. "Hello," Artemis replied.

"You look like a lost Hogwarts student," the girl stated. "I'm Andromeda Black. Alright?" The girl offered her hand.

"Artemis Xenoi," Artemis greeted, taking Andromeda's hand and firmly shaking it. "And, uh, I guess I'm aright. A bit lost though, as you noticed," Artemis said with a laugh.

Andromeda smiled. "You're a Yank aren't you?" she asked.

"Er, yes. I suppose that's how you could phrase it." Artemis couldn't help but think that "Yank" wasn't necessarily the most complimentary of terms. That's what you called loud-mouths. "I'm looking for a pet supply store of sorts," she told Andromeda. "I don't suppose you could point me in the direction of one?"

"Sure, I'll even take you there myself. Mother's not meeting my sisters and I for at least another half hour. Come on!" she said, taking Artemis' arm and steering her down Diagon Alley.

"You have sisters?" Artemis asked. She had always wanted a sister, or any other sibling for that matter.

"Yes, two- Bellatrix and Narcissa. I'm the middle child." Artemis noted that her voice took on a tense, unfriendly tone when mentioning her sisters.

"That's nice. Do you go to Hogwarts too, then?" asked Artemis, hoping to make a friend.

Andromeda smiled. "Sure do, I'm in the Ravenclaw House, and I'll be going into my sixth year this term. What about you?" she replied.

"Oh, well I'll be in my sixth year as well, but I'm a transfer student from the States, as you could tell," she said as Andromeda led her into a store called the Magical Menagerie. 

Inside, walls were lined with fabulous creatures, ranging from the typical housecat to the more fantastic and rare (such as bejeweled turtles.) Bats hung from pegs in the ceiling, and by the counter were pouches labeled "Owl Snacks" and "Cat Treats- Salmon Flavor". "Perfect," said Artemis, walking over and bending down so that she could properly read the labels. Andromeda stood nearby, looking around the shop.

"Ah, perfect," Artemis said, choosing two packets. Straightening up, she saw that Andromeda was now looking at a tall, snooty looking blonde girl standing in the doorway. She was soon joined by a girl that look a lot like- what Artemis saw, at least- an older, nastier  version of Andromeda. Artemis could only assume that these were her two sisters.

The blonde daintily stepped inside. Artemis watched as she looked around at the various animals, and saw her nose crinkle as she took in the smell. It's not that bad, Artemis noticed, taking a good whiff of it for the first time. Not as bad as when Salem threw up all that raw tuna once… "What… _interesting_ company you've found yourself to be in, Andromeda," said the girl.

Artemis saw the raven haired one step in. Come to think of it, she thought, they both acted as though they were older then Andromeda.

"This is Artemis Xenoi," Andromeda said tersely. Artemis had an idea that the sisters did not get along well at all with one another.

Artemis extended a hand in polite greeting. "Hello."

Daintily, the blonde took it. "Narcissa Black." Her hands were soft, and her skin, Artemis noticed, looked as though it had never seen the light of day. It had a pale, milky color, and there was not a freckle or skin blemish in sight. "Charmed," she said.

"And this is…"

"Bellatrix Black," said the oldest, shaking her hand briefly, then letting it go as if Artemis had some sort of skin disease. Whatever house they're in, she thought, she certainly did _not_ want to be in at all.

"Do you two go to Hogwarts as well?" Artemis asked, making polite conversation.

"Yes. Narcissa and I are both in Slytherin, the only _respectable_ house in the lot," Bellatrix explained. "You can imagine the shock of seeing one of my little sisters put in Ravenclaw. At least, though," she continued, "it wasn't Hufflepuff or Gryffindor." Narcissa made a sniffing noise at this comment.

"Oh? What's so bad about the other three?"

Narcissa took up the conversation this time. "Well, if you must know, Hufflepuff is full of complete idiots, Gryffindor is full of what they think are 'noble' students- more like carelessly reckless if you ask me, and, Ravenclaw is alright, I suppose," she directed this at Andromeda. "It's one flaw, like the other two, is that it takes in Mudbllods." She sneered as she said this, as though uttering the insult would filthy her in some way.

Artemis frowned. Ruth had a Muggle father, and she knew quite a few people back in America that came from non-wizarding families. She thought of the time Ruth had been called a mud-blood by a "pure" student, and how quickly he had found himself with his head on backwards.

Noticing Artemis' look, Narcissa asked in a drawling voice, "What kind of family do you come from?"

"My mother's a witch, and my dad's a wizard, if that's what you mean," she snapped.

Bellatrix interrupted the conversation. "I don't suppose you're that transfer student father was telling us about coming over from America, are you?"

"As a matter of fact, I am," Artemis drew herself up proudly. May as well represent my country well, she thought.

"Interesting," Narcissa said, though she couldn't have sounded any more bored if she had tried. "We really ought to get going though, you know. Can't spend all day loitering in the pet shop," she told Andromeda.

"Come along you two, let's go," commanded Bellatrix, walking out, closely followed by Narcissa.

Andromeda gave Artemis an embarrassed half smile as she grudgingly followed her sisters.

Artemis smiled fully back. Poor Andromeda, she thought as she turned to make her purchases.

A few moments later, she walked outside. Frowning, she looked up at the sky. It had gotten considerably cloudier, and looked as though it might rain. Oh well, there's nothing to help that, she conceded, looking down at her list. The next logical stop would be the Apothecary, she decided. To her surprise, that was just a few doors down. Inside, it smelled just as bad- if not worse- then the Magical Menagerie. It was also dark and somewhat foreboding she noted, as she got a scoop of beetle's eyes. After getting everything else (spine of rat-fish, squid ink, lizard legs, and hen's teeth), she figured that she may as well go over to get her robes fit. Remembering Professor McGonagall's advice, she eventually found her way to Madam Malkin's. Timidly, she stepped inside. Artemis hated shopping for clothes, even if it was just her school uniform. A very no-nonsense witch looked up from reading a newspaper.

Pushing her glasses up the brim of her nose, she straightened up and asked, "How may I help you?"

"Well," Artemis began. "I need new robes…"

"Hogwarts, is it then?"

"Yes."

"Step in back here, and we'll get you fitted right away," said the witch leading Artemis over to another room where a large window looked out onto Diagon Alley. "You can put your bags down and stand up on the stool… ah, there you are. Now, where's that blasted tape measurer…" she muttered. Opting to just summon it rather then look for it, the witch said, "_Accio__ tape measurer!_" And the thing came zooming into her empty hand. "Fabulous. Now, if you'll just spread your arms out, we can get your bust…"

Artemis obliged, but with a slight blush. She had never been much as far as the bust was concerned, as Ruth had always jokingly reminded her. Luckily, there were no male customers. As the witch called out measures, and an enchanted quill jotted them down on parchment, Artemis looked out of the window. Across the street, there was a Quidditch supply shop. A boy with scruffy black hair and glasses was there with his parents and a black girl and her parents, eagerly looking inside at the display. I wonder if they go to Hogwarts too… Artemis found herself thinking.

"There, that should do it!" said the witch straightening up. "Three sets, correct?"

"Uh, yes, that's right," Artemis said, redirecting her attention.

"If you'll just wait a moment…" the witch hustled off into a back storage room, leaving Artemis awkwardly standing there. She wandered back out front, and picked up the paper that was recently discarded. _The Daily Prophet_ the front page read. A picture of a pretty witch and handsome wizard adorned the front piece. Some Quidditch player had married some singer of sorts. Just like home, celebrities first, Artemis though with a smile. The couple smiled back at her, waving. One thing she noticed as well was how things were spelled- "colour", "flavour"…

I hope my professors won't grade me down, Artemis suddenly thought, biting her nails as she set the paper down. No, they wouldn't, that would be ridiculous, she firmly told herself.

"Ah, there you are," the witch said, bustling back in, robes in hand. Luckily, she didn't ask about houses or any of that. Artemis had had quite enough of that, thank you. After paying for the robes, she asked, "Excuse me, but I don't suppose you know a place where I can buy my school books?"

"Of course, Flourish and Blotts is the only way to go. It's right down the street," she said, pointing which way.

"Thank you, ma'am," Artemis said, tucking her new package under one arm.

As she went to step outside the door, she came across a mother and her son. The boy, although looking only about twelve years old, flashed her a brilliant smile, pushing back his golden colored hair. Artemis smiled back, and heard the mother say, "Ah, Madam, Gilderoy's here to get some new robes…"

Outside, Artemis promptly walked down the street 'til she found herself in front of an old, but large looking book store. Stepping inside, she found herself immediately entranced with the piles and shelves and tables and volumes upon volumes of books of every size, shape, color, genre, and subject. If there was one thing Artemis loved more then aerial gymnastics and astronomy, it would have to be reading. Calmly, she stepped forward. _This_ was something she could understand, she thought as she walked down an aisle, scanning the columns. She checked her list, and then looked up at a sign, directing her towards where the supply books would be.

A fancy sign stood on a table where various books were piled. Artemis counted on her fingers how many books in total she would need: 3. She found the book by Goshwak easily, and Knight's was there as well. By this time, she was having trouble juggling her various items. Her robes and cloak were in two brown paper packages tied with strings- not bags- and the new books were being disagreeable and almost falling out of her arms every time she tried to adjust them, and the potions ingredients were in nice little bags and jars, put into another box with some padding along the inside. Eventually, as she tried a new technique of holding everything that called for the packages to be stuck under her arms, and holding onto the books with a few fingers with her left (and weaker) hand, everything fell to a heap on the floor.

"Drat!" she hissed, bending down to pick them up.

"Here, let me help you," said a voice. A male hand reached into view, picking up her potion supplies.

Eyes still on the floor, and blushing profusely, Artemis mumbled "Thanks," as she took a bit more time then necessary to gather everything together. Again, the hand reached into view.

"Need a hand up?" he asked.

Carefully, Artemis took it in hers, and the boy pulled her to her feet. She took her first glance at him, and immediately decided that he was very handsome indeed, with his dark brown eyes, and glossy black hair gently falling into his face.

Artemis couldn't help but smile back. "Thanks," she repeated, wishing she could think of something more intelligent to say.

"Of course. You looked like you needed some help," he told her. He then looked inquisitively at her. "I don't believe I've seen your face before, have I? Do you go to Hogwarts?"

"Uh, well, techniquely speaking, I'm enrolled there now. I'm a transfer student from the States. This'll be my first year there, and I'm going into sixth year." She frowned. Even to her that sentence sounded oddly worded.

The handsome boy just nodded. "I see. Well, let me be the first to welcome you-"

"Actually," Artemis interrupted, "You're not the first."

He frowned.

"I already met Andromeda Black-"

"She's nice. She's my favorite cousin. You probably met her two equally charming sisters, Bellatrix and Narcissa," he sarcastically finished. Artemis had the impression that he didn't think too highly of them. "Let me give you the revised version then: the first from the _Gryffindor_ House to welcome you. My name's Sirius Black. I'm a sixth year this term too. What's your name?" He stuck out a hand, smiling brilliantly.

"Artemis Xenoi. Delighted," she replied, shaking his hand. She noticed that he still had her potions supplies in hand and one of her books. "Um, can I have my stuff pack?"

"Oh! Sorry 'bout that. I don't suppose you still need some help with this at all?" he asked.

"Don't you have other stuff of your own?" she asked, her hand still slightly out.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "No, already taken care of. James- my friend- his parents are watching it while they're at the Leaky Cauldron. And he's off with Wood and Casey about Quidditch this season. Normally, I'd have no problem hanging out with them, but, it was a bit dull listening to Wood go over things over, and over, and over…"

"Are you sure?" Artemis double-checked. She really wasn't used to having boys carry her school books- or potion supplies, for that matter- let alone, outside of class! Do I look that pathetic? She couldn't help but think.

"I wouldn't have said so otherwise." He grinned. "Besides, I can tell you about Hogwarts. I'm sure you must have _some_ questions!"

"Well…"

"I insist! Come on; I know that you're still missing your transfiguration book. Anything else you need?" he asked, leading her to a corner of the store where he picked up the copy of the book for her.

"I still need two quills, ten rolls of parchment, and another bottle of ink," Artemis recited.

Sirius raised an eyebrow. "That's quite a bit," he noted, steering her towards the register.

"Well, I never buy things until I absolutely need hem," she explained. I hate shopping."

"Me too. It's such a bore!" he said, putting the book down on the counter as Artemis set down the other two.

"That'll be six galleons, four sickles, and 3 knuts," said the wizard at the register. Artemis counted out the money, the handed it over. The wizard took it, carefully re-counted it, placed it in the register, and then put her books in a handled paper bag. Before taking it, Artemis through in her pet treats, then took it on arm. She walked out of the shop, followed by Sirius. Quickly, she gave a lingering look back behind at the fabulous store. She'd have to make more time to look through it some other visit.

"Do you like books and reading?" Sirius asked her.

"Actually, yes, I do. Do you?" Artemis answered, hoping to find a common interest. She wasn't the best at making new friends.

Sirius shrugged. "I have nothing _against_ it, per say, and I've found loads of… _useful_ stuff in them, it's just not my favorite thing in the world. You'd like my friend Remus though- he's obsessed!" the way Sirius said this and smiled though made Artemis see that he wasn't being rude, just poking fun.

She suddenly noted that Sirius still had her things as they had been walking. "Really now," she said, starting to feel embarrassed. She was certain that with Sirius' good looks, he could probably get any girl he wanted, so why was he following her? "Please, let me have my potions supplies. I just need to run two more errands, it'll be no hassle, really."

Sirius cocked his head to the side thoughtfully, raising an eyebrow. He then playfully put the potions box behind his back and stuck out his tongue boyishly at her. "No way, Artemis! I've never met anyone from America before, and even if you don't have questions for me, I certainly can think of some for you!"

Not quite sure if she liked the tone of his voice, Artemis frowned at him. "Fine then. I'll just ask you questions, that way, you can't ask me."

"Fair enough."

"Now, where can I get writing utensils?"

"Follow me!" he enthusiastically cried, heading further down Diagon Alley to a little shop. "I'd offer you my arm, but I see your hands are somewhat full."

"As if I'd take it anyways," Artemis joked. "So, who are Wood, Casey, and James? Friends of yours?"

"Well," Sirius began explaining. "They're all on the Gryffindor Quidditch House team, Odin Wood's Keeper, Sky Casey- a girl sky- is one of the Chasers, and my friend, James Potter is the Seeker."

"Hm," said Artemis thoughtfully, as Sirius then pointed her inside a shop. There, she set her packages down as she looked over a falcon feather and asked, "So, what's the Sorting like? I still have to go through that."

"Oh, that's easy," Sirius said, hands in pockets. "They just stick a hat on your head, and it decides where to place you. It was enchanted by Godric Gryyfindor , founder of Gryffindor House, many years ago for when they all died. I think. You'd want to ask my friend, Remus. He knows more about the history of the place then I do. He could probably lend you his copy of _Hogwarts, A History_ if you asked. Lord knows he's asked James and me to read it through enough." Sirius rolled his eyes.

Artemis found that he slightly resembled her female friend Ruth in his disregard for reading. "I'll make sure I do that," she told him, finally choosing a falcon feather, and an eagle feather. She grabbed some parchment and a bottle of ink, made the purchase, and was out the door once again, Sirius in tow.

"So, you said you had to make two stops, and this was one. What's the next?" he asked, looking down at her, his hair falling elegantly into his eyes. Just noticing it, he blew upwards at it, rather unsuccessfully, Artemis noted with a smile.

"I need to get some groceries for my mom- you know, milk, pasta, some carrots and a pound of turkey," Artemis said, blushing slightly. Sirius definitely seemed like one of the popular boys, and it was slightly pathetic to have to tell him that she was picking up groceries.

"That's boss," he simply said. "You'll probably want to go over to the place by the Leaky Cauldron- Mrs. Potter says that they have the best produce and stuff."

"Oh, alright." Definitely not an unwelcome response, but certainly not what she had been expecting at all.

"You know," Sirius said as she examined some carrots, "You're gonna have a time trying to get all this stuff back home. How did you get here anyways?"

"Hold these," Artemis ordered, now used to the fact that he was just being helpful. "By Floo powder of course. I don't know how else I could have gotten here." She found a glass gallon of milk mixed in among a tin barrel of ice. She piled it on top of Sirius' arms with the carrots and the bag of pasta.

"Well, you could have taken the Knight Bus, you know," Sirius told her.

Artemis blanched slightly. Her last experience on that thing had been with Ruth, when they had decided to go visit Cara out in Montana. She couldn't remember a time when her stomach had felt that bad before- it must have flipped inside out at least a dozen times, and Ruth hadn't come out much better if memory served her right- her head was in between her knees most of the time over a small pail. "Yes, well, there are other suitable methods of transport, you know," she quickly told him.

Sirius playfully raised an eyebrow at her. "Sounds like somebody already had a run-in with it then. Was it that bad for you then? Remus and I had a splendid time when we went to visit James last summer."

"Well, what suits some people won't suit others. A pound of ground turkey please," Artemis told the butcher.

"Missy, we don't use them 'pounds' and 'ounces' here," he told her briskly.

"Oh, dear. Um, let me think… Oh, bother, I can't do this right now! Just give me a whole bird! We'll use it all eventually," she told him, smiling. The day's activities, although mundane, had left her in somewhat of a flurry, and Artemis couldn't think properly about that type of thing for the life of her.

Giving her a funny look, the wizard butcher reached under the counter and slammed a turkey in front of the two teenagers, making them jump. Artemis looked at it a little doubtfully, as it still had blood on it. However, she just wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. "That'll do fine, thank you."

"Want it wrapped?"

Startled at what she thought to be a ridiculous question, Artemis frowned at him. "Of course," she said in a tone that made it very obvious.

Shrugging, he butcher put some paper down and unceremoniously wrapped the bird in it, then pushed it over towards Artemis. Shoving it under her left arm, she motioned Sirius over to the brick wall between Diagon Alley and the Leaky Cauldron.

"They have Floo powder I can use here, right?" she asked, tapping the brick that the witch showed her.

"Yup," said Sirius as the bricks rearranged themselves and the pair walked through. They stepped inside the Leaky Cauldron and Artemis walked immediately over to the fireplace. "Hey, wait! Don't you want a drink or something? My treat," Sirius offered with what Artemis assumed he believed to be a winning smile.

"Oh, no thank you, Sirius. It must be about mid-evening by now-"

"Four thirty to be exact!" called a small wizard at the bar helpfully.

"-and I really ought to be getting home. This is our first day in England, and my parents will want to at least make sure that I'm alright," she answered. She would've enjoyed staying and chatting with Sirius, because he had been really nice and helpful, but unfortunately, time was banging on her door.

"Oh," he said, sounding genuinely disappointed.

"Hey now, what's this, young Sirius?" asked a tall, lanky man with scruffy black hair and blue eyes. The witch next to him with glasses and hazel eyes looked over as well.

"Oh, Mr. Potter! This is Artemis Xenoi," Sirius introduced, giving her a sly smile.

He obviously thinks that adults will get me to stay, Artemis thought, but they'll understand my predicament, I'm sure of it. However, she didn't plan to be rude, so she smiled and shook their hands.

"Artemis just moved over from the States. Artemis, Mr. and Mrs. Potter- me mate James' mum and dad," Sirius said.

"How wonderful," said Mrs. Potter.

"Attending Hogwarts then, I see?" Mr. Potter said, taking in her supplies.

"Yes, I am. Pleased to meet you both, but I must get on my way…"

"Of course, of course. This is your first day in England then?" Mrs. Potter asked in motherly tones.

"Yes, ma'am," Artemis answered, not used to calling parents of friends "Mr." and "Mrs." Well, actually, they're James' parents, and I haven't quite met him yet, she amended.

"Well, welcome to the country. I do hope it's made a good impression on you."

"Oh, it has alright." Sirius smiled as Artemis said this. She rolled her eyes at him, as if to say, "you're not the _country_, you bafon!" "Well, I'll be on my merry way then. Sirius, if I may have my packages then?" she asked.

He gave her a funny look. "And just how, Ms. Xenoi, do you plan on holding everything, and a fist of Floo powder?" he asked, walking her over to the fireplace. Artemis shrugged.

"I'll manage. I'm a big girl, Sirius, I can take care of myself," she sarcastically said, rearranging the bags. She pulled the potions supplies from Sirius and put them between her legs, then hung the groceries on one arm, her books with the treats on the other, put her robes and cloak under one arm, and the bag with writing utensils on the bag with groceries.

Sirius looked at her, obviously amused. He pushed the black hair back from his face, looking exceedingly handsome in doing so, and held out the bag of Floo powder. "See you on the train tomorrow then?"

"Alright," she said taking a handful.

"Don't be late."

"I'm never late."

"That's what you say now."

"It's what I have said, do say, and always will, thank you very much. Thank you very much for the help."

"You're very welcome."

"I'd give you a hug, but my arms are full."

"You could give me a kiss."

"That's cute, but I think not."

"If you insist."

"I do."

"Always have, am right now, and always will, then?"

"I make no promises."

"You think I'm hot?"

"I never said such a thing. Catch you later."

"Later then."

"Number 53 Squid Row!" with a flash of green flame and a bang, Artemis found herself back home.

"So, how was Diagon Alley?" asked her mother, who was sitting at the kitchen table.

"Simply splendid."

***

_Sorry about the bit of wait! As you can see, it's a rather long chapter, since Artemis interacted with pretty much everyone she met. Hope I wrote Sirius relatively well in character. I decided to base his teenage incarnation on a guy I know at school, what bit we were able to see in _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_, and of course, adult Sirius._

_Again, any prank ideas? Ideas for what hey can do in Hogsmeade? I have a few, but it always helps to have more. By the way, like the various cameos?_

_OK, here's some fun little "trivia" for you to do. What do these names mean: Sky Casey, Odin, and Artemis Xenoi? If you get at least one right, I'll use your name (since I'll be needing a lot for Hogwarts…) somewhere in the story, if not, perhaps the next chapter! As always, thank you for reading!_


	4. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs

**DISCLAIMER:** _I do not, never have, and never will, own the Harry Potter series and all associated stuff._

_A/N: Sorry this took so long to write… As you can tell by sheer length (16 pages in my word processor…) it took quite some time to write. Enjoy!_

At home, Artemis packed her trunk with her new clothes and various supplies. She also set out Salem's basket and got a little bag together for the train ride. She didn't know how long it was, or if food would be available, so she had packed some turkey sandwiches and pumpkin juice, along with some fish for Salem along with the unopened present from Ruth and Hartwin. Since she was only allowed to bring one animal with her, she and her parents decided that Salem would go. Mainly because Storm needed to be used by Drake and Moa as well, and Salem was getting on in his years, and would, as Artemis hated to think, probably be passing on soon; so, she needed to spend as much time with him as she could, since she had had him since he was a kitten.

Early the next morning, Artemis was awoken by Moa gently shaking her shoulder. Artemis slowly woke up, put her clothes on, and went down for breakfast. Drake was running around, trying to get things in order. "Here," he said, shoving some toast into her hand wrapped in a napkin. "No time to eat here, we need to get moving, a nearby family's coming to pick us up in about five minutes," he told her, double-checking the zipper on his pants. Drake often had trouble with ordinary Muggle jeans.

Artemis assumed that her parents had made plans for this while she was out yesterday. "Is mom coming?" she asked.

Drake shook his head. "No, she can't. Remember, she was sick last night at dinner?"

"Yes."

"Well… she's gotten a bit worse."

"Oh."

"Yes, she's sleeping now. Normally, I'd rather you say good-bye, but you know how your mother is when she's sick…" Drake trailed off.

Artemis nodded understandably. Her mother was not in good condition at all when she's sick. "So, which family's taking us?" she asked Drake, as the two stepped out onto the porch to wait.

"The- ah, there they are now!"

A Muggle car pulled up to the front of their house. A man around Drake's age was driving it, and a girl Artemis' age was next to him in the passenger seat. The two got out, and the man smiled merrily and waved at Artemis' father. "Xenoi, how are you?" he called, walking over. The girl looked to be a bit shy to Artemis, which was fine with her- Artemis was _not_ a morning person.

"Fine, fine. And you?" Drake asked, shaking the man's hand.

"Good, thank you. I assume this is your daughter?" the man asked.

"That she is. Artemis, this is Asher Flavius, your mother's friend's husband. My daughter Artemis," Drake introduced.

Mr. Flavius shook Artemis' hand. "Pleased to meet you, young lady. Oh, this is my daughter Gwenaelle. Gwenaelle, Drake and Artemis Xenoi."

"Nice to meet you," the blonde girl said softly while smiling shyly as she shook Artemis and her father's hands.

"Well, may as well get on the road. Hogwarts Express won't be waiting. Give me a hand with Artemis' trunk, Xenoi, and you girls can hop on in back. You'll want to keep your cat with you, I suppose?" Mr. Flavius said.

Artemis followed Gwenaelle to the backseat of the car. The other girl climbed in easily enough, but Artemis looked in somewhat dubiously. She had never been in these metal "cars" before, and she wasn't quite sure how to go about doing it. Coming from an all wizarding family, she had very little connections with the Muggle world. "Just climb in," Gwenaelle told her. Carefully, Artemis sat down, and brought her legs inside. "Here, let me help you with the seatbelt." Gwenaelle reached over to Artemis' left shoulder, and pulled something from the side of the car and clicked it into a rectangular looking device. Artemis held Salem's basket closer. "There you are. Painless!" Artemis smiled somewhat, then watched as her father and Mr. Flavius got in with relative ease, and put on their "seatbelts". It just all seemed a bit too shady for Artemis this early in the morning. She instead looked at the owlcage in Gwenaell's lap. Inside was a beautiful brown owl. Jealously, Artemis thought of how she couldn't bring Storm with her.

"By the way, you can just call me Gwen. Only my parent's insist on calling me 'Gwenaelle,'" she said, making a face.

"Okay."

"What's your cat's name?"

"His name's Salem."

"Oh," the girl said. "Like the Salem witch trials?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

The rest of the car ride was in silence. At King's Cross Station, the company loaded out, and Artemis and Gwen put their trunks and animals on separate trolleys. "Gwenaelle, can you just show Artemis off to the Platform? I do have to get back to work soon."

"Sure. 'Bye daddy," she said.

Artemis turned to her father. "Well, good luck kiddo," Drake told her.

"I'm not off to my execution dad," Artemis dryly said, hugging him.

Drake just laughed, and pulled her into a hug. "That's true. Well, I guess we'll go through the usual routine then: then don't do anything too stupid, do your homework, brush your teeth at least twice a day, and write monthly so we know you're alive."

"Alrighty. Love you Dad."

"Love you too. 'Bye."

"'Bye!" Artemis walked off with Gwen. "So where is this Platform 9 ¾ anyways?"

"Well, between Platforms 9 and 10. You basically just run at a wall, and there you go," Gwen explained as they wheeled their trolleys over.

"I see."

"It's not bad at all, trust me."

"Okay." Artemis really wasn't nervous at all. There was a wall at her old school that you had to walk through to get to a class, so it was no big. "You go first though, I want to make sure I go through the right wall," Artemis told her. No sense in taking chances and crashing into an actual wall. That would be no good.

"Sure," Gwen obliged. Quickly, she looked around, then pushed her trolley closer, and casually leaned against the wall, and slid inside.

Simple as it sounds, Artemis thought, pushing her trolley towards it. However, she heard a call from behind her. "Artemis! Hey, Artemis!" She turned around. There, Sirius stood with a tall, lanky boy with scruffy hair and glasses. A younger boy with Sirius' good looks but scowling angrily stood behind them, and continued over to the Platform as Sirius and the other boy pulled their trolleys up with hers. "Good, you heard me," Sirius said.

"As if I wouldn't be able to?" she joked. "How have things been?"

"Since yesterday? Spiffin'. And you?"

"Fine," she replied.

The boy with glasses coughed.

"Oh, James. James, this is Artemis Xenoi, the cute one I told you about on the way over." Artemis rolled her eyes, and gave an exasperated sigh. "Artemis, this is my best mate, James Potter. You met his parent's yesterday."

James shook Artemis' hand. "I hear you're into reading?" he asked.

"Uh," she glanced at Sirius, who just smiled, plainly amused. "I guess, yeah. I mean, it's a fun way to pass the time along with other activities. Why?"

James ignored her last comment, and then turned to Sirius, saying, "Excuse me for whispering," before saying something into his friend's ear. With all the noise that the train station had, it was impossible for Artemis to hear a word of their conversation. However, she did see Sirius nod emphatically, then turn to James and say, "I told you so!" Artemis scowled slightly. She was most positive that the whispering had _something _to do with her.

"Sorry, Artemis. Right, well, let's board, shall we?" James said, taking up his trolley once more. Artemis noticed a snowy white owl in a cage perched on top of his trunk. "You know how, right?"

"Yes," Artemis told him, heading towards the wall, James and Sirius right behind her.

"All at once then?" Sirius asked, starting to lean against the wall.

"May as well, Padfoot, it certainly does save time," James said, following suit. Artemis copied the two boys, and as she began to lean against the wall, fell through, pulling the trolley with her onto a crowded, noisy platform. Owls hooted, cats meowed, toads croaked, parents and students cluttered the platform, and the scarlet red engine stood at the side. All in all, a pretty familiar scene to Artemis, minus the train, but since she had ridden on one before, it wasn't too weird.

"I wonder if Remus and Wormtail are on board already…" Sirius wondered aloud. "Come sit with us, Artemis!" he told her, offering his arm.

She laughed, but took it anyways.

"I wonder if Lily's on board…" James dreamily said. Artemis saw a weird mist go over his eyes. It reminded her of when Ruth would talk about a boy named Alden that she really liked.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Who cares, Prongs. She hasn't liked you at all for the past five years, she's definitely not going to like you this year. Just leave your stuff wherever on the train, they unload it for you later," Sirius directed Artemis as they threw their trunks up into the racks. "I'd suggest taking your cat with you though," he advised.

"As if I'd just leave him!" she said in mock shock. Although it was true- Salem was getting very old, and it just wouldn't do to abandon him. She let Sirius and James lead her to an empty compartment towards the back of the train. Thoughts of hooking up again with Gwenaelle totally forgotten. When the three had settled down, Sirius peered into Salem's basket.

"Is this the one you were buying treats for?" he asked.

"Huh?" Artemis asked, as she had been spacing off. "Oh, yes. This is…" she pulled the Siamese out of his basket. "Salem," she said, putting him on her lap, where he promptly curled up and started to purr loudly. She stroked his whiskers fondly.

"That's a fun name," James commented, reaching across to scratch one of Salem's ears. Sirius, who was sitting next to him nodded, and stroked under his chin. "Oh, this is Emer," he gestured at his snowy owl. She hooted a greeting, then went back to preening. James made a face at her. "Always cleaning," he said, "Just like any other girl." He reached in and stroked inbetween her wings, and Emer nipped him affectionately.

"She's lovely," Artemis truthfully said. "I have an owl as well, Storm, but she had to stay home since I could only bring one pet and mother needed her as well."

James nodded understandably, then ran his fingers up through the back of his black hair, messing it up even more.

"Hey, hey, hey," said a soft voice at the door. A boy's head poked in, and he had a warm smile on his face. "It's been awhile, you two," he greeted Sirius and James.

"A.K.A., two days," Sirius said with a laugh. "Come in, Moony."

"As if I need your invitation," the other boy joked as he took a seat by Artemis. "Who's this?" he asked his friends.

"Oh, right, introductions," Sirius cried, leaning forward a bit. "Artemis Xenoi, Remus Lupin, and vice versa. And her cat, Salem. And his owl, Rakesh."

Salem groggily meowed his greeting before turning it into a yawn. Rakesh hooted.

"Pleased to meet you, Artemis," Remus said, taking her hand.

"Likewise," Artemis replied, giving the biggest smile she had all morning. He's cute, she thought, looking Remus over. Although he looked somewhat tired with his half-closed eyes, he had light brown hair, that was tied back in a short ponytail with hair falling onto either side of his face. His eyes were a warm amber color, and they smiled with the rest of his face. As she was looking at Remus, she missed the knowing glances between Sirius and James. At that point, a very short blonde, blue eyes, and slightly pudgy boy stumbled into the compartment.

"Hullo guys," he greeted.

"Wormtail! How are you, lad?" asked Sirius, clapping him on the back as the boy took a seat next to James- looking positively delighted.

"Alright. You, Padfoot?"

"Alright. Have you met Artemis yet? Of course you haven't. More introductions for you, then. Peter Pettigrew, Artemis Xenoi- just recently moved from America," Sirius said.

Artemis reached across and smiled warmly at Peter. "Nice to meet you. I see Sirius forgot to introduce Salem though," she gave the handsome boy a raised eyebrow. "My cat, Salem." This time, however, Salem stayed firmly seated in Artemis' lap and gave no sign of greeting towards Peter. He just nodded at this, and Artemis had the impression that he was none too fond of cats. Just at that moment though, a loud whistle blew, and the train's engine started up. Remus looked out the window, and waved to what Artemis assumed were his parents.

"Your mum and dad are always here, aren't they?" James asked.

"Well, you know how they worry," Remus darkly said. The other three boys nodded knowingly. Artemis felt as though she was out of the loop, but decided not to impose.

Thankfully, Sirius picked up the conversation. "Hey, Moony!"

"Hm?"

"Artemis likes to read a lot too-" said person rolled her eyes. Really, it wasn't that odd! "-and I suggested that she borrow your copy of _Hogwarts, A History_, since she's knew. What do you think?"

Remus shrugged. "I don't mind," he said, casually flicking a stray strand of hair out of his face. "It's in my trunk though, so can I give it to you at the castle?" he asked her. "Hopefully we'll be in the same house so I can get it to you easy."

"Oh, of course, no problem," Artemis replied. "What house are you two in?" she asked Remus and Peter.

"Gryffindor," they chorused.

"Awesome. I've met a person from every house so far," she told them, leaning back into the corner comfortably.

"Who have you met from Hufflepuff?" Sirius curiously asked. "You've met us from Gryffindor, my cousin Andromeda from Ravenclaw, and my other two cousins from Slytherin," he counted off on his fingers.

"A girl named Gwenaelle Flavius and her father gave me and Dad a ride this morning," she told them. She noticed Peter blush slightly, but no one else seemed to have. Oh, someone has a crush, she thought.

"Ah…" James, Sirius, and Remus knowingly said as one.

"Well, I hope you get in Gryffindor," James told her. "There's no way you could be in Slytherin, and you don't seem like the Hufflepuff type to me. There's a chance of you getting in Ravenclaw, but I dunno. Just because you like to read and stuff doesn't really mean anything. I mean, look at Remus here!" James said with a smile, gesturing at his friend.

Remus obligingly grinned wolfishly back. "Thanks for the compliment, Prongs."

"Anytime." The bespectacled boy leaned back with his hands behind his head.

As the train chugged out, Artemis leaned her head against the window, looking out at the moving scenery. Carefully, she tucked her feet under her. Salem purred louder, and snuggled against her stomach, kneading her lap.

"Goodness, but he is loud!" Remus exclaimed, reaching over to scratch the cat behind his ears. This just encouraged the cat, and Artemis told him so. Remus countered by saying that she should be lucky that he was so friendly, as most cats are. She then proceeded to inform him that since she _had_ had Salem since he was but a tiny kitten, it should make sense. Meanwhile, Sirius, James, and Peter watched the two talking, the grins on James and Sirius' faces growing wider by each comment.

It was at that moment that the door to the compartment decided to slide open. Their stood the tall blonde boy with icy blue eyes that Artemis had seen before. He cast a glance over the group, and said, in a very bored tone, "Oh, excuse me. I was unaware that the car was full."

"No problem, Malfoy," Sirius testily said.

"Of course, Black. Potter, Pettigrew, Lupin…" he nodded to each in turn. When he looked at Artemis he raised a delicate eyebrow. "I don't believe that we've met before. Although I did see you at the Portkey Transport. I'm Lucius Malfoy. And you are…?"

He didn't offer his hand, so Artemis decided not to as well. "Artemis Xenoi. Recently transferred from America."

Nodding his understanding, Malfoy silently walked back out of the car, closing the door behind him.

"I really don't like him at all," Peter commented.

"Neither do I, Wormtail," Sirius said comfortingly, glancing at the door as though to double-check Malfoy really was gone.

Changing the subject, Artemis asked about their nicknames. "From what I've figured out, Remus is Moony," she pointed at him, "Peter's Wormtail, James is Prongs, and Sirius is Padfoot. Where on earth did you come up with them?"

The four boys cast each other looks of knowing. "Well, Artemis…" Sirius began.

"You see, they're kind of, um…" James took up.

"Secret?" Peter suggested.

"No, not secret. Just fun," Remus quickly supplied. "They're inside jokes that would take much too long to explain."

"There's time. Tell me, 'Moony'," she said, making air-quotes when she got to Remus' nickname.

However, with a look of finality on his face, Remus politely declined for the group. "It's not that interesting at all."

"Besides," James began, quickly jumping in, "There's _lots_ of other interesting things to talk about. Such as how you can help me with something, Artemis." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees.

"Oh? And what would that be?" she carefully said.

"You see, there's this girl-"

"James, for crying out loud!"

"Oh God, not her _again_!"

"Give it up already, Prongs!" came the assorted cries from his companions.

"Lily's hated-" Sirius began.

"Make that _despised_, Sirius," Remus put in, rubbing a temple.

"Oh, good word. Anyways, the point it, she's not liked you for the past, oh, let me think, _five_ years. She's definitely not going to go out with you this year," Sirius told James.

"Well, now, I don't know about that. I thought that Mazin and Sky weren't on too friendly of terms, even though they're on the same team, but they like each other now, don't they?" Peter put in.

"Shh!" Sirius snapped, reaching over James to put a hand over the poor boy's mouth. "Don't get his hopes up! And don't you try either, Artemis! I can see that smile you have," he warned her, pointing a threatening finger at her mouth.

"I'm not doing anything, Sirius," she innocently said. "However, I am curious to know who this Lily girl is you seem to all be so excited about. What's she like? Is she nice?" she hopefully asked. It would be nice to make some female friends to go along with her male ones. Besides, this was a rather rambunctious bunch, and it would be nice to have someone relatively calm to be around.

"Beautiful…" James dreamily said.

"Bossy…" Sirius inputted.

"Nice…" Peter told her.

"A prefect…" Remus added.

"Smart…" James' eyes had a weird glazed look on them now.

"Hates James though," Sirius supplied.

"With a passion," piped in Remus.

"So true," Peter said, shaking his head.

"It's not hate… It's love. It's how she expresses herself," James said in exasperated tones.

"Telling you that she'd rather date the Giant Squid than you is not saying that she loves you," Sirius told him. "Personally, Artemis, the only thing I have against Lily Evans is that the mere mention of her name will practically send this guy into hysterics, if you haven't already noticed." He glared at James.

"What do you mean?" James said incredulously.

Sirius rolled his eyes. Remus had to stifle a laugh behind his hand. Artemis grinned.

"Just you lot wait," James said, trying to sound superior. "Someday you'll fall in love with someone like Lily, and see what it'll do to you."

"Well, if there's one thing I know for certain," Artemis said, digging through her bag, "I won't act that stupid."

"I second that," Remus said. "What're you up to in there, Artemis?" he asked, leaning close to her so that they were shoulder to shoulder.

"Oh, I just remembered, my friends in America sent me a present to open when I was on the train to Hogwarts. Ah! Here we go," she said, pulling out the elegantly wrapped gold package. Upon closer inspection, it was a few inches thick and rectangular in shape.

"Open the envelope first," Remus told her, sidling closer to see. Sirius, James, and Peter leaned closer as well.

"Thanks, dad," Artemis joked, but she opened it. Inside was a mixture of Ruth's tiny hand-writing mixed with Hartwin's elegant cursive.

"Can you read it aloud?" asked Sirius.

"Or is it too personal?" James said.

"I don't see why not. Two people wrote it though. But here:

_'Dearest Artemis,_

_I can't believe it- off to __England__! Just think of all the exciting adventures that you're going to be having. It'll be out of sight! And a whole new school too, think of the possibilities. A chance to totally start over… I'm slightly jealous. Although, it's not as though you really need to start over over there. You're already the perfect friend and person- incredibly smart, athletic, beautiful (I know you don't think so, but we do!), kind, generous, thoughtful, the list goes on and on our dear friend.'_

Here, Artemis' hand was starting to shake ever so slightly from emotion. She bravely continued on.

"_It's amazing to think that I've known from since we were babies, and that now you have to go half-way around the world. Honestly, I don't know how I'll manage without you. Artemis, you know you've always been my shoulder- our shoulder!-  to lean on.'_

Artemis couldn't help but notice that the ink was runny, as though someone had cried on it. Did Ruth actually cry over me? She's the strong one though, Artemis thought.

"_Anyways, don't you dare not write us after you first week or so of school, or we'll come over and beat it out of you. Don't change. We'll try and come to visit you over the summer._

_Love always, your friends,_

_Ruth Darwin   and     Hartwin Leofwine"_

Carefully, Artemis folded the letter back inside the envelope as the boys across from her watched closely. Avoiding eye contact with them, she proceeded to meticulously open the present, using the time to get herself under control. The letter, although to most people, wouldn't seem that intimate, really was to her. "Let's see now, what did those two goofs give me," she said, trying to be funny. It was weird though, sharing this intimate of a moment with these four boys whom she had only known for a few hours- well, Sirius a day or so. With the wrapping paper taken off, the present revealed itself to be a photo album. "Outrageous," breathed Artemis, turning the first page. It showed a picture of her and Ruth when they were very little babies with their respected parents. Everyone in the frame smiled and laughed, waving heartily at her.

"Is that your mum and dad?" asked Remus, pointing at Drake and Moa.

"Yeah. How'd you tell?" Artemis asked. She wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between the two babies of her and Ruth if she hadn't recognized her parents.

"You have your father's smile," Remus informed her.

"Oh." Artemis was surprised he was that observant.

"I wanna see. Scoot your boot," Sirius gently said, crossing over to sit on the other side of Artemis. "Oh, totally. You and your mom have the same gray eyes. Are you an only child?" he asked.

Artemis nodded, then turned the page. The next image was of her and Ruth playing in the mud in Ruth's backyard. Everyone laughed. "It looks like you have even more freckles there!" joked James, pushing his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose.

"Gee, thanks." The next page showed Ruth and Artemis with Salem and Ruth's cat, Farron, as new kittens. "Look, Salem, you even made the album," she told him, scratching behind his black ear.

Next, the two of them riding a broomstick together as they went off to a fair. "Look how short your hair is," observed Peter.

"Hmm…" Another page showed Ruth and Artemis at the start of their first year at W.C.A.M. in their school uniforms.

"How cute!" Remus quipped, pinching her cheek. "Pigtails and everything! Goodness though, but your friend Ruth certainly has red hair- just like Ciel's!"

Later, it showed various progressing pictures of Ruth, Artemis, and Hartwin in their uniforms. Some pictures showed birthdays and various parties. One was, as Ruth explained in a little note, "a shameless self-insertion" of her and the Phoenix House team at the Academy after winning the House cup. ("Besides, remember how happy we all were?" the note further read.)

"She plays Quidditch?" James eagerly asked.

"Yup. Beater," Artemis explained.

"That's so boss," Sirius said in an awed voice.

Artemis shrugged. "I guess so. She's slightly obsessed."

James snorted, reminding Artemis strongly of Ruth. "Try talking to Wood or Casey. Now _there's_ a pair of super-charged players if I ever met them."

"Says the one who can't ever shut up about how good he did when X girl is in his near vicinity," Sirius said.

Remus gave a cough that sounded vaguely like "Lily."

The rest of the trip was passed by in relative tranquility. A witch came down with a good trolley, and James bought everyone a round of pumpkin juice, and Artemis learned lots of fascinating things about her new school. At one point in time, James and Sirius snuck off for about an hour to, to quote Remus, "Do heaven knows what." They came back smelling lightly of smoke and wearing twin grins of satisfaction. Remus just gave them a disapproving look, Artemis shook her head while hiding a smile, and Peter looked at them in awe.

"Should I even ask what you were up to?" Remus had asked the two.

"Do you really want to know?"

"You'd probably feel obligated to give us detention anyways."

"Anyways, we were just livening things up… a bit."

"And making some social calls."

"Oh yes, of course."

Eventually, Remus checked his watch and saw that they would almost be there. Everyone changed into their school robes, and Artemis, Remus, and James gathered up their animals just as the train came to a halt. Upon instruction from her male friends, Artemis left her trunk inside the train. Walking outside, the four boys, particularly James and Sirius, were hailed with various calls of greeting from their fellow class-mates. A tall black girl came up behind James and Sirius and pounded the pair on the back.

"Brilliant prank, you two!" she congratulated. "Chucking that dungbomb in that Slytherin compartment."

Remus' eyebrows rose questioningly at his two friends. Sirius and James continued to ignore his annoyed expression.

"Oh, Sky, you flatterer!" Sirius said, coyly covering his face.

"You knew that we couldn't let old Snivellus go the entire trip without a call now, could you?" James asked her.

"No, no, I suppose not. Careful though, don't wanna get caught. Well, if you'll excuse me, I believe Mazin is calling me… See you lot at the sorting. Remus, Peter, Artemis."

"How does she know me?" Artemis asked James.

"We told her about you. Oh look, there's Hagrid!"

Artemis turned to look where James was facing. Her first thought was that the man must be a giant, considering that he was at least two of her tall. However, giants usually aren't easily simulated into wizard society, so she figured that this was probably a wrong assumption. However, there was no getting around the fact that the man was _huge_. He bellowed, "Firs' years this way!" above the crowd, and a bunch of timid looking, short eleven or so year olds walked over towards him.

"Do you have to go with them, or do you get to stay with us?" Peter asked hopefully.

"Well, in Professor McGonagall's letter, she said that I only needed to be Sorted along with them, but I get to travel up to the castle with you all," she explained, thinking back.

"Excellent. Here's an empty carriage, you guys," Peter said, spotting one out. The five friends climbed inside the horse-less black carriage.

Suddenly, it started off. Artemis peered out of the window as they quickly approached a very large castle. Remus appeared at her shoulder. "Fantastic, isn't it?" he softly asked, looking at it fondly.

"It certainly is large," Artemis said. "And very old looking. "I wonder when it was first built? Remus, do you know?"

"Well, the precise date is uncertain, but over a thousand years ago, at least. There's more about it in _Hogwarts, A History_," he explained. "It's actually a kinda boring book, and I only read it because I had nothing better to do for awhile in the infirmary. This lot saw me reading it though, and figured that since I was 'liking' it so much, they may as well give it to me for a gift."

"Oh, I see," Artemis said, still looking at the fabulous castle.

"Don't let my opinion put you off though," Remus hastily amended. "I mean, reading it has come in handy at times."

"I'll just have to see for myself then," Artemis said, stepping out as the carriages came to a halt at the front of the school. Sirius gave her a hand out.

"Ah, well, here it is," James said, spreading his arms wide. "Our home away from home."

"Most certainly," Artemis softly said to herself as she allowed herself to be swept in with the rest of the students. At the stairs, there stood a formidable looking women in her late forties to early fifties. Her hair was tied back in a tight bun, and she wore a simple but nice looking robe and had spectacles perched on her nose.

"Inside now, all of you. Don't dawdle."

Obligingly, everyone started to go inside. "That's Professor McGonagall," Sirius whispered at her shoulder. "You should probably see her. Do you need help at all? She can be a bit intimidating, but she's really cool."

"I think I can manage, thank you though," Artemis whispered back. "I'll see you guys later!" she called.

"Hope you get in Gryffindor," James said. Sirius gave her the thumbs up, Remus smiled, and Peter waved as Artemis went up to the Professor.

"Professor McGonagall?" Artemis timidly asked.

"Yes? Oh, you must be Artemis Xenoi, right? Sixth year transfer student from the West Coast Academy of Magic in the United States?" asked the woman.

"That's me," Artemis said with a smile.

Surprisingly, the older witch smiled back at her. "We're very happy to have you hear. I spoke with your old Headmistress via Floo, and she had very encouraging things to say of you. I'm sure you will greatly enjoy Hogwarts."

"I hope I will," Artemis truthfully said.

Professor McGonagall nodded. "Just you wait here with me for the first years. Then, we'll go in and get you Sorted. Don't worry, it's painless. Do you know the houses?"

"Yes, I do," Artemis said. "Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw, right?"

"Exactly. I'm the Gryffindor Head of House. Ah, here the first years are now from coming across the lake!" Artemis was slightly startled by this statement, but decided to question someone later about this. "Welcome to Hogwarts," Professor McGonagall greeted. "In just a moment we'll be passing through the doors into the Great Hall, where you'll be Sorted. When I call your name, just come up to the stool, I'll place the hat on your head, it'll choose where you go, and then off you go to your house table. Also, along with you normal first years being sorted, we have a transfer student in her sixth year needing to be Sorted, Artemis Xenoi," she gestured at her. "Now, in we go. Follow me and walk quickly, please!"

With that, Professor McGonagall swept inside the room, closely followed by the first years and Artemis. Artemis could feel herself being watched by almost all eyes in the Great Hall, and she felt rather silly with all these short people. However, the Great Hall did live up to its name. The ceiling, she saw, had been magically enchanted to show the weather that was occurring outside. Right now, it was perfectly clear, and she could see bright stars shining brightly. Candles hung in mid-air, lighting the room with the starlight, and gold silverware, plates, and goblets adorned the four long house tables. She caught Remus' eye as she looked around, and he smiled encouragingly at her. James and Sirius waved at her. In front of it all was a slightly raised table where, Artemis assumed, the teachers were sitting. In front of that though, was a stool with an old, dingy looking hat sitting on it.

So that's the thing that will decide my future, Artemis thought. It must be enchanted. 

An ancient looking man at the center of the table smiled warmly down at all of the students. "Professor, let the Sorting begin," he said in a clear voice.

Professor McGonagall nodded, and then all eyes turned to look at the Sorting Hat.

A crack in the brim opened up, and it began belting out a song:

"Welcome one, and welcome all,

To another year at Hogwarts.

I'm the Sorting Hat, as you can see,

And your job's to let me find you the right House.

Which could it be for you though?

Perhaps brave Gryffindor,

Where courage and valor are synonymous with its name.

Maybe sly Slytherin?

The crafty and slippery often find there kind in here.

Perchance gentle Hufflepuff?

She'll take anyone in with her, and all are kind and caring.

Or, lastly, clever Ravenclaw?

Only those sharp of wit enter into here.

So, what are you waiting for?

Just stick me on your end,

And I will put you where you ought to be."

A loud chorus of applause broke out as the hat ended its song. Artemis joined in. Once it died down though, Professor McGonagall pulled out a long list from the confines of her robes' sleeves, and began reading names. "Aerl, Emily!" she cried.

A blonde girl with braids walked up, sat down on the stool, and put that hat onto her head. After a few moments, the hat called out, "HUFFLEPUFF!" Loud cheering came from that table as the girl, smiling, took off the hat and went to sit down.

Next, an "Archer, Thomas," came up, and was put into Slytherin.

It dragged on and down, and Artemis figured that she would be one of the last people to be sorted, since her last name began with a "X". True to her thoughts, when "Wadwhani, Mariel" was sorted into Ravenclaw, there was only Artemis and two other boys standing.

Taking a breath, Artemis heard, "Xenoi, Artemis," called out. Keeping her composure, Artemis paced herself to the stool, picked up the hat, and placed it on her head. The brim however, was huge, and just barely fell over into her face.

With a start, she head the thing actually _talking_ to her. "Hmm… Let's see… let's see… No, certainly not Slytherin at all. Hufflepuff maybe?" Artemis scowled. She did _not_ want to be affiliated with a group of people whose only strong point was being nice. Not that she wasn't, or had anything against them, but really now. She was brave, and clever, wasn't she? "Not Hufflepuff? Well, alright then. Didn't think so anyway." Good lord, can it read my thoughts? Artemis thought. "It's a tough choice between Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. You're terribly clever, you know. But very brave as well, moving from America to here without putting up much of a fuss. Well, may as well make it, GRYFFINDOR!"

***

_Well, there you go! Artemis is now in Gryffindor. Okay, here are the names meanings asked of you from last chapter:_

_-Artemis: Artemis was the Greek goddess of the moon and hunting_

_-Xenoi: foreigner, stranger_

_-Odin: Anglicized form of the Old Norse name "ðinn which was derived from the early Germanic name Woðanaz, which perhaps meant "wind". In Norse mythology Odin was the highest of the gods, presiding over art, war, wisdom and death_

_-Sky: just means "sky" as in the blue thing_

_-Casey: vigilant in war, watchful (I'll explain this and Odin later)_

_So, Artemis, Sky, and Odin's names were found at: ___

_Casey was found at: _

_Xenoi__ was also found at the "Behind the Name" site, but I added a twist to the name "Xenon" to get it._

_I hope you all enjoyed this, and will continue reading! As always, suggestions and ideas are welcome. Particularly for pranks. Need those… I hope I got everyone pretty much in character._


	5. Why am I Thinking That?

**Disclaimer: **_I do not own _Harry Potter_ or anything related to this._

_A/N: hey guys! Lookie how fast I got this out. Yay! So, there's been some changes to the story's "profile". 1) The title: I felt it needed something other then _Artemis Xenoi._ 2)the rating has gone up to PG-13 because, well, it is a teenage romance fiction, and things can get a little hot, and language filled, and 3) the story "type" has changed from General/Romance to Romance/Comedy. I don't think I'm gonna start making the romantical part of the fiction more heavy then originally planned, but that and comedy are a big part of how this works, so enjoy._

Artemis breathed a sigh of relief as she removed the hat from her head and walked over to the loudly cheering Gryffindor table. She smiled warmly as Sirius and Remus moved to make room for her between them. "I told you so!" James cried, reaching over to thump her on the back. Across the table, the girl named Sky smiled warmly at her.

"So glad you get to join us!" she called above the din.

Artemis blushed slightly. Really now, it was quite nice that she got to be in the same house as her friends, but all the fuss? It did feel silly. However, the noise died down quickly, and McGonagall proceeded to the next two boys. "Yong, Miltiades," she called. A brown haired boy confidently walked up and put the hat on his head. Almost instantly, the hat called out "GRYFFINDOR!" happily, he went and sat back down amongst the applause.

Lastly, a "Zeelen, Sunil," was sorted into Ravenclaw. The applause died down as the old man, whom Artemis assumed was Professor Dumbledore, rose.

He spread his arms wide, and smiled out over the crowd of young students. Artemis got the feeling that he would rather be doing his job then anything else in the world. "Hello all, and once again, welcome to another, or your first, year at Hogwarts. I hope you all enjoyed the Sorting ceremony, and will enjoy the feast just as much. I can tell you're restless, so I won't start the speech making until after you have eaten. So, eat up!" with that, he sat down and suddenly food appeared in the platters and bowls before Artemis.

"Fantastic," Sirius said next to her. "I've been craving the Hogwarts potatoes lately." He scooped a large amount onto his plate. "Here, you need some of this, Artemis," he said, putting a large helping onto her plate. "Nothing in the world like tem at all."

"Oh… and the roast chicken," James said, spearing a few chunks.

"Easy there, Potter, or you won't be able to get more than a few feet in the air," a boy a few seats down from James said.

"Don't ruin it, Wood. Besides, training doesn't start for another few weeks, remember?" James told him.

"Actually," Wood said, calmly ladling some soup into his bowl. "We're starting next week. I owled Professor McGonagall, and she booked it for us."

"Are you serious?" James cried ecstatically, leaning across a black haired boy next to him. Although all Artemis could see was his back, she could just imagine the grin of joy spreading across the boy's face.

"When isn't he when it concerns Quidditch?" Remus whispered into Artemis' ear.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Sky said from across the table. The equally tall black boy next to her looked interested as well. "What's this about practice next week?"

Odin sighed, looking exasperated. "I'm not going to repeat myself for you lot, and then again for Kalani and Ciel, wherever those two are. Only five out of us seven are here, and I hate going over things. We'll have a brief meeting in the Common room tomorrow night after dinner."

The black haired boy next to Wood asked him, "Should I spread the word to Ciel and Lani?"

"No, it's alright Van. We'll see them during classes," Wood said, eating a bit of bread. "Eat some salad, James," he ordered. "You're a Chaser, and you need to build up some muscle, especially considering who's on the Slytherin team this year." Odin got a dark look on his eyes.

However, Artemis was getting rather bored of Quidditch talk, and turned to look at Remus. "I suspect we'll be hearing lots of this until the end of the season?"

The boy shrugged. "Depends on where you sit. It's only usually the week before the game that they get excited. James and Ciel usually stop eating, so you can help watch that. I'm sure Odin would appreciate it."

"Are you serious? That's exactly what Ruth would do," Artemis said, taking a bite of her potatoes. They really are quite good, she thought. After swallowing, she turned to her friend. "Remus?"

"Hm?" the amber eyed youth said from around a cup of hot chocolate.

"This is going to seem like a silly request, but can you point out, some, uh, 'important' people in the House? You know, like prefects, stuff like that." She blushed slightly. It was a bit silly of a request, she couldn't help but think.

"Of course." Artemis felt him lean down close. "Alright, let's see, let's see…  Well, let's start with the fifth year prefects, since they're right next to each other. You see the brunette? That's Ciel's cousin actually. Her name's Scarlett Rossi, and the boy next to her, the Asian, his name's Ormond Ruadh. They're both pretty cool. I'm the sixth year prefect, by the way."

"I could tell by the badge," Artemis whispered back.

"Ah, right. And Lily Evans, you heard about her on the train, is the other one. Now let's see… where is she… Lily's the only sensible girl in Gryffindor in her year, so I assume she'll be thrilled to have you here. Surprised that she hasn't made an introduction-"

"Hi," said a clear girl's voice behind them. Artemis and Remus turned around to see a girl with little past shoulder length auburn hair and the most brilliantly green eyes Artemis had ever seen in her life. "You're Artemis Xenoi, right?"

"Yes, that's me." Artemis noticed that James was running a hand up through the back of his hair again, messing it up even more, if it was possible., and trying to look totally suave at the same time.

"Wonderful. I'm Lily Evans, one of the other girls in your year. I'm sure Ruby and Brave will make their presence known eventually," Lily said with a scorn. James watched everything she did with utmost rapture.

"It's nice to meet you," Artemis said, not mentioning how she had heard about her previously. She noticed the "P"  badge identical to that of Remus' on her chest.

"Right, well, I'll be seeing you tonight then!" Lily said. She then turned to Remus. "Remus, I expect we'll be getting off the hook for leading the first years up, since Ormond and Scarlett are here. You did get the password, right?"

"Yes, Lily, I did."

"Lovely. Well, if you'll be excusing me," she walked off with a wave.

Artemis turned to Remus. "She seems nice enough." Then, leaning in close, she whispered in his ear, "Did you see the look James had on his face though?"

Smiling, Remus leaned in close to whisper back into her ear, "He's always like that. Personally, I think she likes it, but just doesn't want to admit it." Artemis gave him a puzzled look. "I'll tell you later," Remus told her.

Just then though, the room got quiet as once more Dumbledore rose to his feet, and looked over the students, beaming at them. "As I said before, welcome to Hogwarts. Also, you know that I try not to publicly embarrass people, but there is one new student I'm sure that all of you noticed. Artemis Xenoi recently moved from England to here with her family, so I hope you'll help her to make a smooth transition.

"On to business. As I constantly remind you every year, all students are _not_ to ever enter the Forbidden Forest on the edge of the grounds. It has that name for a good reason, but I notice that some students always seem to find their way in every year." Artemis saw him cast a stern glare at Sirius and James, who were currently looking the image of innocence. "Also, Mr. Filch has asked me to remind you all that using magic in the corridors between classes is forbidden, along with using a long list of other items which include Fanged Frisbees among others. Thank you. And now, if you will all be so kind to sing in the school song. Just pick a tune, and sing it at your own pace." With a flourish, he waved his wand, and a spout of gold sparks leapt out to start writing out the lyrics to the song.

"Our favorite part!" said Sirius and James excitedly. Remus and Artemis exchanged looks, and ended up laughing as they began the song.

"_Hogwarts Hogwarts Hoggy Warty Hogwarts  
Teach us something please  
Whether we be old and bald or young with scabby knees  
Our heads could do with filling with some interesting stuff  
For now they're bare and full of air  
Dead flies and bits of fluff  
So teach us things worth knowing  
Bring back what we've forgot  
Just do your best we'll do the rest and learn until our brains all rot,_" the school sang. Due to the fact that everyone chose a different tune to sing it to, they all finished at different times. Looking over at James and Sirius, Artemis saw the duo were really getting into it.

Currently, they were singing in high operatic voices, gesticulating wildly, and all around making a scene. Giggling into her hand, Artemis thought that they would definitely be the scene stealers of the school during social functions. Even though they were moving at a relatively fast pace, they were still the last ones singing. "_All ro-oooot!"_ bellowed Sirius.

"_Oooot_!" James picked up.

Up at the staff table, Artemis saw Professor McGonagall roll her eyes and exchange glances with a young looking teacher dressed in Gothic robes.

When the boys finished, they eagerly looked back up to where Dumbledore stood; the wizard just smiled, and wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "No matter how many times I hear that song," he said, "It'll always pluck a heartstring. One day you'll all understand. Right, well, off to bed with you all. Good night."

Assorted calls of "G'night Professor," came from the students as they stood up and climbed off the benches.

"Well, there you have it," Remus said as he lead the older crowd of Gryffindors up to the Common room. "Your first dinner with the school. What do you think?"

"Hmm…" Artemis said, while thinking. Truth be told, she had quite a lot of things to say, and everything being thrown at her at once did feel somewhat overwhelming. "Well, Remus…" she began, the taller boy looked down at her expectantly, but patiently not saying anything. "To be honest…" James, Sirius, and Peter were listening now. She glanced at them. "I don't think I've ever heard so many different English accents at once in my life. Do I sound funny to you?"

Remus raised his eyebrows in surprise. James snickered. Sirius rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. Peter smiled.

"No, you don't sound _that_ weird," said the first year boy Militiades Yong, who had been sorted last. He jumped up in between Remus and Artemis. Artemis looked above the short boy's head at Remus, one of her eyebrows raised questioningly. Remus just shrugged back and smiled. Unnerved, the first year continued. "So, where are you from in America? It's a big place, so it's not quite like saying you're from Scotland."

"Is that where you're from?" Artemis politely asked.

"Of course," the boy said, standing up straight. "But you didn't answer my question. Where in America?"

"Nosy little kid," Artemis muttered James by her side before answering, "California- along the coast. Around the San Francisco area, more or less. How's that for an answer?"

"Just fine, thank you," Militiades said before waiting up to join some friends Artemis assumed he had just made.

"Hey, Remus!" a pretty brunette said, stepping up next to him. Artemis recognized her as one of the prefects she had asked Remus to point out during dinner.

"Oh, hi, Scarlett," he said, looking down at her. She was very short; Artemis expected just barely hitting the five-two mark. It was all Artemis could do though to keep her eyes from bulging out of their sockets from shock. Oh Merlin! She thought. She must be a double-D at least! Her robes aren't even putting up a fight to hide her figure! Artemis glanced down wistfully at her own, rather small chest. Ruth had always teased her about having little boobs.

"Are you still going to be tutoring this year for Defense Against the Dark Arts?" Scarlet asked, smiling in a _very_ flirty way. Artemis noticed the prefect badge on her chest, identical to that of Remus'.

"Erm… maybe," Remus answered, looking uncomfortable. "I don't really think you need help though, you're doing really well in it, aren't you?"

The girl scrunched up her nose in a cute fashion. "Don't be silly!" she teased. "I was good at _fourth_ year stuff, but fifth year is _a lot_ harder, isn't it?"

"Well, obviously," Artemis snapped. "You're a year older, so it would be, wouldn't it?" Oh my, she thought. Did I just say that? I'm only rude when I'm hungry though, and I just ate… what's getting into me?

Scarlet gave Artemis a very dirty look. "Oh, you're the new student, aren't you?" She looked Artemis up and down. Artemis could tell she was comparing them. "Well," she said after a moment. "I'll be seeing you then." She bustled off importantly.

The rest of the walk was in awkward silence until they arrived at the portrait of a fat lady. "Password, please?" she asked Remus.

"Shall we dance," Remus recited, getting odd stares from his fellow Gryffindors. "What?" he asked as they climbed through the portrait hole. "I didn't make it up!"

"Yeah, sure you didn't Moony," Peter joked.

"Shall we dance, Ms. Gallagher?" Sirius joked to a redhead girl as he offered his hand.

Laughing she then jokingly said, "Oh, Mr. Black, I thought you'd never ask," she took his hand, and they danced a few steps together before stopping to laugh at poor Remus as James gave Lily a suggestive look.

With a "Humph!" Lily marched over to a pair of staircases. At the foot, she said, "Artemis, I'll be in the dorms. You should be getting to bed soon as well." Lily flounced off.

"She is _so_ stuck up," said a Spanish looking girl who was standing with a blonde girl. "Oh, you must think that we're horrible for not introducing ourselves though!" she said, turning to Artemis with her friend. "My name's Brava."

"And I'm Ruby," said the blonde. "We're both in your year as well, so we'll be sharing a dorm with you and Lily, the redhead who just went to bed."

"Erm, sorry to interrupt girls, but I'm going to bed. It was great getting to know you today, Artemis," Remus said with a smile.

Artemis smiled back. "Likewise. See you in the morning then?"

"Of course. G'night Artemis. Ruby, Brava," Remus said before walking off.

"I think we'll follow Moony's lead," Sirius said with a yawn. "See you in the morning Artemis. Come on Peter."

"G'night Artemis," James said. Then, leaned in and whispered. "Now you see what I'm up against? I know you'll be able to help," he said, before winking at her and walking off up the boys' stairs with his friends.

"Good night, guys," Artemis said before turning back to Brava and Ruby, who were currently looking very bewildered.

"You already _know_ Sirius Black?" Ruby asked, shocked.

"_And_ James Potter?" Brava continued.

"Well, yes. Is that a bad thing?" Artemis asked, now feeling just as bewildered as the girls looked.

They tittered sillily. "Not at all, Artemis, dear," they chorused.

"Come, let's talk and walk," Brava said, taking one of Artemis' arms as Ruby took the other and led her up to the sixth year girls' dorm.

Remus Lupin watched from the semi-balcony, obscured from site by a tapestry, as Artemis was led away by the two girls. He smiled to himself. She'll be alright, he thought. Remus had been worried about her. On the train, when she had looked into the photo album he had the sense that she may have broken down into tears from homesickness, if she hadn't of had someone to talk to. Thankfully she met Sirius yesterday, he thought, so she at least knew someone nice to ride on the train with. It was also helpful that the friends Sirius had introduced her to opened her with loving arms as well, he thought, thinking of himself, James, and Peter, and that now she was in Gryffindor with them. Also, Lily seemed to like her, and Artemis also had a bit of a friend in Andromeda Black from the Ravenclaw House, although from what he had heard of what went on between her and Gwenaelle on the car ride over to King's Cross, she and the Hufflepuff were only really acquaintances.

That wasn't anything to worry about though, he continued thinking as he went back into the dorm. She's very likable. Wait, why am I worrying about her like this? He suddenly thought. I've never worried about a _girl_ like this before…

However, his thoughts were interrupted as a pillow went flying into his face from Sirius' hand. The black haired boy grinned wickedly. "What's on your mind, Remus? You've been exceptionally quiet- even for you- lately."

Remus shrugged. "I'm fine, really," he answered, starting to undress. He glanced over at James, who was standing in front of the mirror in nothing but his knickers. James was flexing his muscles, and turning around, trying to get a better view of his body, occasionally rumpling his hair in different ways. His body, toned by the rough years of Quidditch training turned around as he looked over his shoulders at his back.

"What in Merlin's name are you up to now?" Sirius asked, walking over, his shirt completely unbuttoned, collar flipped up, and tie completely untied. His tan and toned torso was clearly visible.

"When did you get abs like that Padfoot?" James asked, obviously jealous.

Sirius looked down at his stomach, pushing his shirt apart to get a better view as he looked down. He snorted. "Don't be ridiculous, Prongs. It's nothing _that_ new. Although I must say, they are rather nice," he grinned at his friend. "Granted, you don't have much as far as abs go, Prongs, but you do have a flat stomach, so I'm sure Lily will love that." He poked it playfully.

"You think so?" James asked eagerly.

Remus rolled his eyes, pants and shirt off. He was about to change into a clean pair of knickers and throw on a shirt, but Sirius and James pulled him over to the mirror. "Come on, Moony, let's see how your body's developed over summer!" the two boys said, standing in front of the mirror with him.

"Well, you're fit, that's always good," Sirius said.

"And _tan_!" James cried. "When did this happen?"

"I went to the beach this summer," Remus explained, uncomfortably. He honestly didn't care if he saw his friends naked/half-dressed, or vice-versa, but being compared always made him feel silly. The same went for when Sirius and James talked about girls, and general good looks. They were both very good looking, and could get any girl (or boy, for that matter) in the school, even though James had only ever wanted Lily. That didn't mean he didn't have his fair share of admirers though- James' talent on the Quidditch field had given him his share of fans. However, Sirius had played around with a few girls- and guys, if the summer rumors were true- in his time. Not to mention, he could make a girl freeze up just by saying her name. Remus however, although hanging around with the two most popular boys in their year at school, had barely been the object of any girl's interest- as far as he could tell. At least they weren't going_ down there_. He turned around and walked back to change, disgruntled.

"Uh-oh, Moony's mood-swinging again," Peter said from in his four-poster bed.

"Quick, check my moon chart,Wormtail!" Sirius said. "It should be out by my dresser."

"The full moon's not for another few weeks," Remus snapped, crawling into bed.

"Hey now, what's gotten into you" James asked, seriously, coming over to sit on the edge of Remus' bed.

Remus pulled his short pony tail out of its hair band, letting it barely brush his shoulders. Gaining composure, he said, "Sorry, I'm just a bit stressed, that's all. You know, beginning of a new year, just getting the O.W.L. scores back, all that. I think I just need a good night's sleep that's all."

Sirius and Peter had joined James at the corner of Remus' bed, all with looks of concern on their faces. "Are you certain?" Sirius asked, still concerned.

Remus nodded. "Positive."

"Alright then," James said, getting up. The other boys followed. "Well, good night then, all."

The boys all went to bed within a few minutes.

Up in the girls' dormitory though, all was a-gossip.

"So, Lily, get any love letters from James this summer?" asked Brava, brushing Artemis' hair. Artemis had just told them that she was feeling a bit lonesome for the other girls in her dorm back home- Ruth, Cara, and Dakota- so Brava, Ruby, and Lily had felt obligated to step in and make her feel right at home.

Lily rolled her eyes as she stood in front of the vanity in the adjoining bathroom. "A few," she answered.

"Well, what did you do? Did you write back?" Ruby eagerly asked from unpacking. She put up an autographed poster of a very good looking male keeper from Puddlemore United next to Artemis' of Sora Kanzaka- the aerial gymnast Artemis admired. Along the walls, there were tacked assorted pictures of the girls' family and school friends- most moving magically, but a few not. These were mainly Lily's. Artemis had just learned that both her parents were Muggles.

"No, of course not," Lily answered. "I burned them, along with the rose that he sent me."

Brava and Ruby "awed" at the remark of James sending her a rose. Artemis did have to admit, it was a _very_ romantic gesture, but she thought he'd of done better with lilies. "I still can't believe that you won't go out with him though," Ruby continued. "He's one of the foxiest men in school…"

Lily gave her an icey glare. "James Potter a man? Hah! That'll be the day!" she cried, stepping out of her slippers and hanging up her robe before jumping into bed. "I'm never, ever, _ever_ going to go out with him in my life," she announced.

"Why?" all the girls, even Artemis chorused.

"Why? Hmph, that's easy: he's an arrogant, stuck up jerk, an insufferable know it all in transfiguration," Lily counted off. "And he just now got around to calling me by my first name! Since first year, the most he'd ever say is 'Evans', or if I as lucky, 'Lily Evans'. It's enough to make me sick!" the redhead spat.

Brava and Ruby looked very taken aback. Then, calmly, Artemis took initiative, and pulled her hair into a loose ponytail, saying to Brava, "Thank you for brushing my hair out, Brava. I think I'm going to bed now. I think the train ride's worn us all out and we need to sleep."

"True, true," came the assorted mutters from the girls as they crawled into bed.

Artemis was positive that everyone just needed to in a good sleep, and everything would be okay.  Unfortunately, she had a huge craving for some chocolate right now, so that wasn't helping. However, in the few minutes after she had blown out the candle, she was dead asleep, exhausted from the adventures of the day.

***

_There, that went out pretty fast. It's shorter then I wanted, but considering that I had been previously planning to end chapter four with everyone asleep and in their dorms at the end of the night, I think that this worked quite well. How did you guys like the stuff in the boys' dorm? I hope that seemed somewhat realistic as to what guys do._

_darkslytherinangel__- in case you didn't notice, your character was mentioned, although not by name. So, yay!_

_Heather Young- I don't know if you got my e-mail or not about being in the story._

_Dulce__- I hope it lived up to your expectations! And my cats Dinah, Jane, and Farron say hi to Bo. ^_^_

_And yes, I know that in Chapter Three I had Sirius state that James is a Seeker, and now Odin's saying that he's a Chaser. I think this will help to differentiate poor Harry from the shadow of his father (no, I have nothing against James, but poor Harry is always feeling compared to him, so let's give the kid a break). I don't think that James playing with the Snitch is book 5 really means he's a Seeker anyways- just showing off for Lily. ^_^_

_Also, one last note about the boys' dormitory scene/Remus' mind. Did everyone like the "sidetrack" to that, or should I just keep to Artemis? Going into Remus' thoughts won't be a frequent adventure, just every now and then. Well, that's all. Please review!_

_And check out my Artemis site:_


	6. Curioser and Curioser

**Disclaimer:**_ I do not own the _Harry Potter_ series or its characters in any way, shape, or form. Please, do not sue me. However, I do own Artemis Xenoi and all other original characters, so please ask if you intend to use them in fiction (art is okay and encouraged, seeing as I have n obsession to see how other people interpret things.)_

The next morning at breakfast, Artemis sat bleary eyed next to Lily. "Isn't there any coffee?" she asked Lily for the umpteenth time.

Her friend gave an exasperated sigh. "Artemis dear, no. Just drink some pumpkin juice, and if you need something to wake you up, then ask Remus for some chocolate. He always has some." Lily nibbled her toast.

"Are you always like this in the morning?" Brava asked from next to Lily.

"Yes," Artemis shortly replied, eating her eggs.

"Good morning, ladies!" Sirius said, sliding into the empty seat across from Artemis. Remus grabbed the one next to her. James was immersed in conversation with Odin and the rest of the Quidditch team.

"Morning, Sirius," Artemis groggily said, her eyes still half closed. "Morning, Remus," she continued, giving the two boys a small smile. The rest of the girls mumbled their replies- Lily, because she honestly couldn't care less that Sirius was idolized by at least half the female population of Hogwarts, and Ruby and Brava were slightly shell-shocked from the sheer marvel of him talking to them.

"And a good morning to you too," Remus cheerfully said, buttering some toast. "Have a first good sleep at Hogwarts?"

Artemis shrugged. "It was just like any other, I suppose." She nibbled a piece of bacon. "When do we get our schedules?" she asked the general crowd of people around her.

"Sometime soon," Sirius told her. "Scarlet and Ormond should be passing them out." He looked around, but the voluptuous brunette and her brainy companion were nowhere in site. "However, I do not seem to be able to see them anywhere. Must be getting them from Professor McGonagall."

"Where's Peter for that matter?" Lily asked, playing with her eggs. "He's normally right at either you or James' heels. I don't see him anywhere right now though."

"He's mailing his mother a letter up in the Owlery," Sirius answered. He pushed his hair out of his eyes. "Ah, look, there's our little Prefects right now," he said, looking at the entrance.

As Scarlet drew nearer, Artemis found herself in a virtual stare down with the girl. What's with her this morning? Artemis thought to herself. Bitch.

Thankfully, Sirius broke the mood quickly. "Ormond, my man, do you happen to have my schedule?" asked the handsome teenager.

"Yup," answered the prefect, quickly shuffling through some papers. He handed a schedule to Sirius. "And let's see, who else… Evans…" he handed Lily hers. "Flynn…" he handed Ruby her schedule. Ormond looked up. "Do any of you know who Alice Gale is?" he asked the crowd.

A tiny blonde girl next to Remus raised her hand slightly. "That's me," she softly said. Poor thing, Artemis thought. She seems scared out of her wits. The first year took her schedule.

"And a Dorothy Garland?" Ormond asked.

A spunky looking brunette with two braids spook up from next to Alice. "Yeah, that's me."

Ormond looked over his glasses at her as he handed out the schedule. "And here's Lupin, Remus J." He said, handing Remus his schedule. Just then, Peter came dashing in, out of breath. He found a seat next to Sirius. "Oh, hey Peter," Ormond drawly said. "Scarlet's got your schedule- and Artemis and Brava's as well. See you lot later…" the prefect said, walking off.

"What does the 'J.' stand for?" Artemis immediately asked of Remus.

"John," he simply told her with a grin. "Not very exciting, I know."

Artemis shrugged. "Not everything has to be. It fits you anyway. 'Remus John Lupin,'" she recited before going back to her eggs. Even though Artemis was not a fan of mornings, she was of eating breakfast.

She heard the first years on the other side of Remus talking.

"How are we going to _find_ these places?" Alice- the little blonde- asked.

Her friend, Dorothy, shrugged. "Ask someone, I guess. Sis did say it wouldn't be easy," she admitted.

"Do you need help?" Sirius politely asked from across the table.

The two looked up, and Artemis thought they looked very bewildered indeed. Well, I suppose I'd be too, Artemis truthfully thought. A big sixth year boy asking me if he could help. A particularly _good_ looking boy at that, she added, glancing at Sirius, who was now engaged in telling them where Greenhouse 12 was. His hair was, as usual, gracefully falling into his lightly tan face, and with those deep brown eyes and charming smile, who wouldn't be intimidated at having such a striking male in that close of proximity?

Scarlet came up behind them. "Pettigrew, Peter, your schedule," she cheerfully said, reaching across the table between Artemis and Remus. Artemis couldn't help but notice the enormous breasts right next to her face. Does she even wear a bra? Artemis thought, before beginning to feel extremely flat in her presence. "Rojo, Brava," she said, handing Brava her schedule. "And let's see… Xenoi… Xenoi…" she rifled through her papers. All three of them, Artemis snappishly thought. "Ah, here we are. Xenoi, Artemis D., "she said, sounding, in Artemis' opinion, way too cheery for this early in the morning.

"What's the 'D.' stand for?" Remus mimicked with a smile.

"Diana," Artemis replied, looking down her schedule. Potions today, followed by study hall, then lunch, then Transfiguration, then Charms, dinner, and Astronomy in the evening. Not bad.

"Ah, so your parents liked the name Artemis so much, they decided to repeat it, but with a twist?" Remus joked. Sirius looked lost.

Artemis was used to this. "Yup," she replied. "'Artemis: Greek goddess of the hunt, childbirth, animals, and the wilderness. Diana: Roman equivalent of Artemis, more or less- Lady of the Beasts, wilderness, the hunt, and the moon,'" she recited. Sirius looked better informed now. "Anyways, Remus, what classes do you have?" She hated being the center of attention, and usually tried to get out of it as soon as possible.

"Same as you. What electives are you taking?"

"Care of Magical Creatures and Ancient Runes."

"No way!" Remus cried.

"Way."

"Me too. That's outrageous. So are Sirius, James and Peter. Well, the Magical Creatures part anyways. The rest of them have Muggle Studies instead of Ancient Runes though," he answered before taking a swig of his juice.

"Why not any Muggle Studies for you, Remus? I thought the four of you did everything together," she asked.

"My mother's a Muggle, so I grew up with both," he answered.

"Ah."

"What about you, Lily?" Artemis asked the redhead.

"Divination, and Care of Magical Creatures," she answered.

"With your favorite person on earth then, huh?" Artemis said with a sly smile.

Lily looked shocked. The other sixth years snickered into their hands. "Now don't you jump on the bandwagon as well!" Lily cried incredulously.

"What bandwagon? Where is it? And who's jumping on it?" James asked from down the table.

Lily frowned. "None of your business, Potter!" she snapped before returning to her food.

Breakfast ended, and everyone filed off to their various classes. Remus, Sirius, Peter, James, Artemis, Lily, Brava, and Ruby headed to the Potions dungeon.  "Who's the Potions professor?" Artemis asked from Remus' side.

The boy looked down at her. "Briana Whyng. Don't worry, she's pretty cool, even if she was a Slytherin," he answered.

James made a face at this comment. Remus cast his friend a stern look. Really now, you can't go around trying to make someone biased of a person as important as a professor. Even if it _was_ the professor of his worst subject…

Remus had never really gotten the hang of potions, he thought as the group walked down a flight of stairs. It was much too precise and mathematical. He had always preferred concepts and the like over that. Potions was much too precise for him. He also never saw it as a terribly practical class. When would they ever need to concoct a truth potion? Weren't making those without licenses illegal anyways?

He allowed his group of friends to lead him inside the dungeon. "Where do I sit?" he heard Artemis asking Lily.

"Wherever you want," the redhead whispered. "Do you mind if I sit with Aliza? We have some catching up to do from over the summer."

"No, of course not," Artemis replied, taking a random seat.

"Great, thanks Artemis," Lily said with a smile. "Hey, Aliza!" Lily called, wandering off.

Somewhat uncertainly, Remus slid into the seat next to Artemis. "Erm, do you mind if I sit here?" he asked, feeling painfully shy. Usually the seats you picked in the beginning of the year stayed that way.

She smiled at him. "No, of course not, Remus. At least I can sit by someone I know. I'll need to learn all of these Hufflepuffs' names soon, though." She bit her lip nervously.

Remus patted her shoulder encouragingly as Professor Whyng walked in. A tallish witch who dressed in dark robes, she reminded Remus of a younger version of Professor McGonagall- stern with high standards, intelligent, but a very nice person at heart. Although today, she didn't look too pleased with things. He then noticed Madam Pomfrey coming in behind Whyng. What's going on today? He thought, but didn't dare say anything aloud.

"Today, and for the next two months," Professor Whyng began with a touch of the "why-me?" tone in her voice, "Madame Pomfrey and I will be teaching you all about the joys of growing into a young adult," she said this with a note of sarcasm in her voice.

"Now, Brianna, you know it's important, and that the Ministry is requiring it," Madame Pomfrey said in a cheerful voice. "Hopefully it'll keep them from stuffing too many regulations down our throats," the nurse added, mumbling.

Professor Whyng rolled her eyes. "Why it had to be during _my_ class though, I'll never know. Anyways, let's begin," she clapped her hands together. "Right, well, can I get everyone to stand up and line up along the back wall please. Thank you," she said as the students obliged.

Remus couldn't help but wonder what was next. Professor Whyng was _not_ thrilled about the current situation though, that he could tell.

"To help you all learn to get better acquainted with someone of the better sex who will be your 'mate-'"

Immediate sounds of protest and confusion entered the room.

"We're having sex?" cried one Hufflepuff girl by the name of Charity McMillan.

"What do you mean mate?" snapped Lily, casting James a dark look as he gave her a rather suggestive nudge.

"Hold on everyone," Professor Whyng said, looking very annoyed. "I will explain later. However, for now, these are your assigned seats for the rest of the year, so get used to them. Alright, when I call you forward- one boy, and one girl- take your seats next to each other. Yes, Ms. Evans, what is it?"

Lily had her hand in the air, and a frantic look on her face. "Did you choose the partners, Professor, and we had no say?"

"Yes, I did. Though I shouldn't see why that should matter. This class gets along surprisingly well with one another, so it really shouldn't matter who I pair you with. Now, let me continue. Mr. McGrath and Ms. Walsh, up here please. Next, Ms. McMillan and Mr. Hogan." The students took their seats. "Mr. Black and Ms. Flynn, you're next." Remus saw Sirius smile confidently, and Ruby smile nervously. I wonder who I'll be paired with? Remus thought, looking at the remaining girls- Artemis, Lily, Brava, Aliza, Gwen, and Joy. "Next is Mr. Pettigrew and Ms. Flavius." Peter went red very quickly. Remus had known that his friend had had a crush on the blonde Hufflepuff for awhile, but had been so far much too nervous to actually say anything to her. The opportunity was prime for Peter, and Remus sincerely hoped that he'd make the best of it. He listened to her go through the next three couples, and watched their various expressions. Two all Hufflepuff ones, and Brava was with Hiroshima. He looked around. Only he, James, Lily, and Artemis were left. Who would he get to be with? Before he knew it, his name was being called. "Mr. Lupin and Ms. Xenoi, right here, please. Which leaves Mr. Potter and Ms. Evans paired together. You can take the desk next to Mr. Lupin."

"Back where we started, huh?" Artemis joked as the pair sat down in, miraculously enough, the same desks.

"Looks like it," Remus replied. It also looked like Lily was trying to get her chair as far away as possible from James'. Remus would know what he, Sirius, and Peter would be hearing about all year- the joy of sitting next to Ms. Lily Evans. Fun stuff. 

Professor Whyng stepped in front of the class. "Now that you're seated, I'll explain what all's happening this year. Every Monday, Potions class will become 'General Sexual Education Class.'" The students looked at her, clearly baffled. Whyng, although pretty groovy, as far as teachers will go, was still very stern. Besides, Remus thought, why were they doing it during _Potions_ class? "As you may have heard Madame Pomfrey saying, the Ministry is now requiring the class. Why you all need to learn what a vagina and clitoris exactly is is beyond me though." Some students snickered. The professor and nurse raised eyebrows at each other questioningly. "Now, that's another topic I want to bring up. You're all sixteen, or thereabout. Saying words for different genitalia parts shouldn't be 'amusing,' or whatever," Professor Whyng dryly said. "So, for our first project- Poppy, can you get them for me?- you and your partner will have just been married, and will have just had your first baby. For practical purposes, we aren't giving you lot _real_ babies, or even baby animals for that matter. Namely, because the Control of Magical Creatures Department would be after my blood. However, you will be getting 'Flour Sack babies,' a Muggle idea that the Professor suggested to use.

"You'll name your baby, and will have to take care of it with your partner until the last day before Christmas break. The sex will be chosen at random. Madame Pomfrey will hand them out," Professor Whyng explained as Madame Pomfrey wheeled in a cart of flour bags. Remus quickly counted them, but a Hufflepuff girl by the name of Meriwether asked what he was thinking.

"Professor? There seems to be more bags then necessary, as we're only in nine couples…" Meriwether wondered.

"Er, yes well, you see, you and your partner will be picking out a card that says either boy or girl on it, and there's also three sets of twins, and one, um, set of triplets for the exceptionally lucky couple," Professor Whyng explained, then began going about the classroom.

Remus watched as Asher and Meri, Fulvio and Charity, and Sirius and Ruby all chose 'singles'. Sirius had let Ruby choose the card, and she had picked a boy. Next up was Peter. Gwen chose the card, and turned it over. Remus saw her face twitch funnily before showing the card to Professor Whyng and saying, "Triplets, please."

"Way to go Peter!" Sirius cried, reaching behind Ruby to thump his friend on the back. "Always knew you had the right stuff!" The whole class, including Professor Whyng laughed appreciatively at Sirius' humor. Madame Pomfrey smiled as she wrote it down on her clipboard. Aimo and Joy proceeded to pick a baby girl, Hiroshima and Brava then got twin boys, and then Fadil and Aliza got twins- a boy and girl. Next up, were Remus and Artemis.

Why did she feel so silly sitting next to Remus, about to pick the card for their "child?" Artemis thought. It's not like we're actually _doing_ the dirty. She turned it over, and swallowed. "Twins- girls," she told everyone. Damnit, she thought. She really wasn't looking forward to taking care of just _one_ flour sack, but two? That's ridiculous. James and Lily picked a baby boy as she and Remus looked at the two sacks in front of them. Professor Whyng checked the time.

"Well, we have about fifteen minutes until the bell. Take the time to name your sack- er, baby or babies, and I'll ask you to report by the end of the class." She and Madame Pomfrey immediately went into a quiet conversation.

Artemis and Remus looked at the sacks in front of them. Artemis made a face at them. "So, what do you wanna name them?" Remus finally asked, as the chatter from the classroom continued.

Artemis shrugged. "How about Selene?"

"Okay, that works."

"Alright, you think of something now."

"Um… er…" Artemis watched Remus struggle to think of a name.

"_I_ think we should call him Harry," Lily insisted to James, motioning at the flour bag. Artemis looked over at them.

"Why Harry though? What's wrong with James?"

Lily snorted. "Gee, I wonder," she snapped.

"Don't be so uppity, Lils. Harry can be his middle name if you want."

"Don't call me Lils, James. You know I hate it."

"But why?"

"I just do.."

"There _has_ to be a better reason then that. Anyways, I think we should call him James."

"Fine. Whatever. Just call him James. I don't feel like arguing. And it's not like we'll ever be having a real baby between us anyways…"

Artemis' attention wandered back to Remus, who was still staring at the bag. "What about Ylva?" he suggested. Artemis guessed that the look on her face was one of disgust, because Remus quickly said, "Oh, sorry, er, maybe not… um…"

Artemis sighed. "Ylva's fine, Remus. Wherever did you come up with it though?" she asked.

Remus shrugged. "I read a lot," he explained. "Names pop up." He leaned forward and poked Sirius. "Hey, did you name it yet?" he asked.

Sirius gave Remus a condescending look. "'It' is a boy, whose name happens to be Horatio Wesley Black. Ruby chose a name, and I chose one, and we put them together. What did you and Artemis decide?"

"Selene and Ylva. She chose one, I chose the other," Remus explained.

Meanwhile, Artemis was asking Brava what she and Hiroshima had named their twins. "Faramir and Ford," Brava answered. "What do you suppose Peter and Gwen'll come up with for theirs?"

Artemis shrugged. "Who knows?" She listened to some groups around them argue.

"This has been a weird class," Brava said. "Don't worry though, Transfiguration with McGonagall should be a normal class."

"Right," Artemis said, nodding. She felt something poking her in the back. She turned back around. "What is it, Remus?" she said, smiling at his broody look.

"We have to decide on a last name, since we're 'married.' Yours, mine, or both?" he informed her.

"Oh, they can have yours. Selene and Ylva Lupin sound much better than Selene and Ylva Xenoi, or Selene and Ylva Lupin-Xenoi, or any other variation of the name," she decided. Remus blushed slightly at this minor compliment.

The minutes passed, and finally Professor Whyng stood up in front of the class. "Alright, attention please," she said. "When I call your names, tell me what you've decided to call your baby. Asher and Meri?"

"Mercutio McGrath."

"Fulvio and Charity?"

"Lina Hogan-McMillan." The couple looked angrily at each other. And Hufflepuffs normally get along, Remus thought with wonder.

"Sirius and Ruby?"

"Horatio Wesley Black."

"Peter and Gwenaelle?"

"Galadriel Faye, Amelia Blair, and Tybalt Pettigrew," Gwen breathily answered. Professor Whyng scribbled the names down.

"Right. Aimo and Joy?"

"Trillian White."

"Hiroshima and Brava?"

"Faramir and Ford Huang."

"Fadil and Aliza?"

"Tim and Tess MacDermott."

"Remus and Artemis?"

"Selene and Ylva Lupin," Remus answered for them.

"And James and Lily?"

"James Harry Potter II," James answered proudly. Lily made a face. Professor Whyng merely said, "Not surprised at all…" as she wrote it down.

"Right well, real quick before you go to your next class- make sure that you take care of your 'babies.' I have my ways of knowing," she said, just as the bell rang. The students filed out.

"You actually named a sack of flour after you, Prongs?" Sirius asked incredulously as the group walked out.

"Well, yeah, of course," James replied, holding the sack close. Remus and Artemis each had one, and Peter had all three as Gwen was off to Herbology with the other two as the Gryffindors went back to the Common Room for study hall. "But if I may ask, Moony, 'Ylva?'" James said.

Remus shrugged. "I like it," he simply said as they began climbing the stairs. "At least I didn't name it after myself."

"Well, that would've been weird naming a girl flour sack 'Remus,'" Sirius said. "Anyways, what should we do now? We have, quote, unquote, '_study-hall_' right now, and no homework to speak of!"

"Go up to the common room, obviously," Lily told him icily. "That or the library. Don't you lot remember last time you tried to do something someplace other then there? Sirius, what on earth are you doing?" Lily asked, looking at the boy.

Sirius was currently balancing "Horatio" on his head as he walked up the stairs. "Just playing with the flour sack baby. Is there something wrong with that Ms. Evans?" Lily frowned, and sped up her pace to get away from the boys. "She's so touchy," Sirius commented as they continued up to the Common Room. At the portrait, James spoke the password, and they all went inside.

"That password reminded me," Remus said, as they took seats around the fireplace. "At the prefect meeting, Arwen and Richard said there's to be a Halloween dance. They also wanted me to, uh, tell you two," he was now looking sternly at Sirius and James, "That they will _not_ be tolerating any pranks, spiking of drinks, or anything along those lines."

James and Sirius looked absolutely thunderstruck. "_Us?_ Throw a _prank_? My dear Moony, do you know who you're speaking to?"

"I, for one, am flummoxed and flabbergasted."

"To say the least."

"Quite."

Artemis watched the scene entail, then finally asked, "Are we allowed to go outside during the study hall? It's a nice day out, and I'd like to go down by the lake."

Sirius shrugged. "Sure. I don't see why not. Won't you need help finding Transfiguration though?"

Artemis thought for a moment as she walked over to the portrait hole with her bookbag. "No," she softly said. "I think I'll manage, thanks anyways though, Sirius. Remus? Be a doll and watch the flour sack for me," she wistfully said, walking out of the portrait.

What's wrong, Artemis? She thought to herself. She had suddenly felt _very_ lonely with the boys' talk of pranking, and was vaguely reminded of some boys in her school back at W.C.A.M. Walking downstairs, she wondered just how well she would fit in. So far so good, she thought. She had made quite a few friends. Well, were they _really_ friends yet, or just acquaintances? She had hardly known any of them for more then a few days, and even though she had spent a day with Sirius shopping, she hadn't really gotten to know him that well. She walked outside, and headed straight for a tree by the lake. She sat down, propping her elbows on her knees, and cradled her chin in her hands. It's ridiculous that I'm feeling depressed, she thought. But I even miss Cara and Dakota as much as I do Ruth and Hartwin. Should I have asked Mom and Dad to be able to stay at W.C.A.M.? Could I have? Yes, it is more practical to be at Hogwarts, and travel costs are virtually non-existent, but still… She mulled things over as she unbraided her hair and let it flip about in the wind.

Up in the common room, Remus was by the window, looking out at Artemis' figure by the lakeside nervously. "Remus, she's fine, don't worry," said James, coming over to pat his shoulder.

Remus frowned. "Unless she's on her period, which I can tell she's not," he tapped his nose, "then that's the most outrageous mood swing I've ever witnessed. She was laughing one minute, and now she's sulking."

"Then go cheer up the Future Mrs. Lupin," Sirius said with a broad smile.

"Cute, Sirius," Remus snapped. "What am I supposed to do, though? Just go down and start talking to her?"

"Well, yeah!" James and Sirius chorused.

Remus smiled at his two friends and shook his head. "Alright, you talked me into it. Come down as back up though?"

"Of course!" Sirius said, smiling insanely. "Wanna come, Prongs?"

"I'd love to. However, Mom wanted me to write her as soon as I could. And, considering that we still have Transfiguration to go through, I doubt there'll be much time tonight. Have fun though, Remus!" he encouraged his friend before walking up the stairs.

"Peter, will you watch the sacks for us?" Sirius asked as he and Remus crawled out the portrait hole.

"Sure," Peter said with a smile before reaching for his book. He watched his friends climb out the hole, and couldn't help but think that for _once_ he'd have a quiet common room to himself. He sighed contentedly, and settled back.

Remus and Sirius raced down to the lake. Slowing up, Sirius shoved Remus forward towards the brunette girl as they hid behind the bushes. Remus nervously walked over, glancing back once at his friend. Sirius gave him the thumbs up, before motioning for him to continue on. Taking a deep breath, and straightening his shoulders, Remus walked bravely on. He sat down next to Artemis. "Your hair is loose," he lamely began.

She looked at him sadly. Were those tears brimming up in her eyes. She smiled weakly. "Nice observation, Remus," she said, looking back to the lake.

"It's pretty down," Remus lamely continued. Fuck, he thought. I've dug a hole, but I can't go now. He reached over and ran a hand down through it carefully. "You should leave it like this more often," he said.

"How would you know I don't?" Artemis snapped. "You've barely known me for twenty-four hours. For all I know, you and everyone else may not even like me."

Remus watched a tear run down her face as he sat back, silently thinking. So that's it, she's homesick, and self-conscious about not being liked. Sounds familiar… he thought, thinking back to hi first year, where, due to his condition, he felt he'd be hopeless at making friends. He remembered how Sirius and James had then called him a stupid git for thinking that, and had proceeded to invite him to go TPing the common room with them and Peter. However, he figured this was _not_ the correct approach for dealing with girls. Remus tentatively arm around Artemis thin shoulders. "Don't say things like that," he said, resting his cheek on the top of her head when he noticed she hadn't made any attempts to move away. "Of course we like you. Believe you me, when James and Sirius don't like anyone- and Lily, for that matter- it's obvious. They like you just fine." He moved closer to her. Although he couldn't see Artemis' face, he could feel her body shuddering slightly from repressed tears. They sat for a moment.

"Are you sure?" Artemis asked.

"Positive," Remus answered.

"Now I feel really dumb," Artemis said, Remus looked down and saw her frowning.

"Nah, don't think like that," he told her. "These things happen." To his surprise, he felt Artemis lean into him.

"I miss Ruth though," she told him, looking out at the lake. "I've known her for forever. We should be sharing a dorm together right now, along with Cara and Dakota." She felt a fresh wave of tears coming on. Determined not to cry- especially in front of a boy- she wiped them from her eyes with the edge of her school sweater.

"Kerchief?" Remus offered, pulling one from his robes.

Laughing softly, Artemis took it and blew her nose. "You'll probably not be wanting this back," she said, looking at its contents and making a face.

Remus gave a hearty laugh. "Even if it wasn't like that, I'd say keep it. I always carry some on me anyways. Kerchiefs aren't only good for noses you know- you can dry things, tie them into little bags for herbs…" he stopped upon seeing Artemis' amused smile. "And now you think I'm a total nerd," he sighed.

It was Artemis' turn to laugh. She threw an arm around his shoulders. "Oh, Remus, don't worry about it. We can be nerds together if nothing else."

"Can I be a nerd with you?" Sirius asked from behind Artemis.

She looked up into his smiling face. "I think you're too cool to lower to our level," she joked, smiling back.

Sirius gently rubbed a tear from under her eye. "Artemis, you really shouldn't cry. You got Remus into a right fit," he told Artemis, taking a seat beside her. Sirius quietly noted that the two still had their arms around one another.

"Did he now?" she asked, smiling bemusedly at Remus, who gulped and looked at first rather pale, and then very red.

Sirius grinned wickedly. "That's right," piped in the dark haired teenager. "Thankfully he didn't mess up the cheering up process completely though," Sirius persisted, ignoring the death glare Remus was now issuing him. Sirius leaned in to Artemis, and whispered confidentially, "He hasn't had much experience in the female department." Remus frowned. "Or the male department either, come to think of it," Sirius then added.

"Sirius, you're walking on very thin ice my friend," Remus warned.

"Did I touch a soft spot?" Sirius asked, leaning over Artemis to give his friend a devilish look. "There's nothing wrong with being gay- or bi, for that matter- Moony."

Artemis was beginning to feel very awkward. A conversation changer may be needed. Or her lack of presence. She cleared her throat. The boys continued to ignore her.

"What have you done with a girl anyway, Moony?" Sirius asked, leaning back to look up into the clear sky.

"As if that's any of your business," Remus snapped.

"In other words… nothing," Sirius answered back. "You're just jealous that I've done more than you have with _both_ sexes, Moony," he said, sticking his tongue out playfully.

"I thought you two were friends," Artemis cut in as Remus was opening his mouth to retort. "Or do boys always act like this?" she raised an eyebrow, looking from one to the other.

"We're always like this, don't worry," Remus said, giving a reassuring smile. Artemis looked at him skeptically. "Honest!" he cried.

Sirius checked his watch. "Well, would you look at the time!" he said, standing up. "Up next, Transfiguration with McGonagall." He held out his hands to Artemis and Remus. "Hand up?" he offered.

Laughing, Artemis and Remus finally removed their arms from around the others' shoulders and let Sirius pull them both up. They slung their books bags over their shoulders, and headed back up to the castle. Artemis, feeling considerably better and relieved, Sirius feeling very satisfied with the way things played out, and Remus feeling happy that that was over. However, both he and Artemis were _very_ curious about Sirius' statement about doing things with both sexes. The pair both silently figured that he was bluffing, but there was that bit of doubt. Sirius was, of course, _extremely_ good looking, and Remus, more so then Artemis, knew that Sirius had never passed by an opportunity in the last year and a half to… experiment. Remus gave his friend a sideways glance from over Artemis. Sirius and her were casually talking about class as Remus wondered just _what_ his friend was up to. Curiouser and curioser…

***

_So sorry for the long ass wait. The chapter was not easy to write, and I had to leave for a week to go college shopping out of town before finishing. Even now, I'm not sure if it's quite what I had in mind. I wanted the question of Sirius' sexual preferences to come up a bit later (ie, in their seventh year), but somehow it was thrown into the mix here, beginning with things from Lily's perspective._

_The flour sack sequence was very spur of the moment_. _Very__.__ I do have reasonings behind every name for the "sacks" though. They're all favorite characters of mine from various movies, books, plays, anime, etc. Except for James and Lily's, obviously, and Remus and Artemis'. And if anyone can tell me then meaning of the name "Ylva" I'll… I dunno. If you don't already have a character in here, you can be a character (I'll contact you), or if you already do, I'll work even harder on getting the drawing of your character finished then I already am! (Yes, I'm a nutcase.) Anyways, here's the origins of names:_

_Mercutio McGrath: _Romeo and Juliet__

_Lina__ Hogan-McMillan: from Lina Inverse, the main character in the anime _Slayers__

_Horatio Wesley Black: Horatio's from _Hamlet_,__ and Wesley's from _the Princess Bride__

_Galadriel Faye: from The _Lord of the Rings_; from the anime _Cowboy Bebop_ (Faye Valentine)_

_Amelia Blair: from the anime _Slayers_ (Amelia Wil Tess Saillune); just a name associated with witches (The Blair Witch Project)_

_Tybalt__: from _Romeo and Juliet

_Trillian__: from The _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy _series (Tricia McMillan, Trillian, etc.)_

_Faramir__: from the _Lord of the Rings__

_Ford: from the _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_ series (Ford Prefect)_

_Tim and Tess: are dormice twins from _Redwall_ and _Mattimeo_ by Brian Jacques_

_Selene: a moon goddess_

_Ylva__: for you to figure out! ^_^_

_James Harry: I should think the James should be most obvious. I can't quite figure out where the Harry came from though… ^_^_


	7. Transfiguration

**Chapter Seven: Transfiguration**

Ciel Gallagher saw Remus, Sirius, and the new girl, Artemis walk into the Great Hall for lunch. As the three approached the tale, she called Artemis over. "Oi, Artemis! Come sit with me!" the red haired fifth year said. The brunette shyly weaved her way over to Ciel, leaving Sirius and Remus to find seats with Peter and James, who were already there. As usual, James was looking intently over in the direction of Lily, who was having an animated conversation with a Ravenclaw girl the next table over. Ciel didn't know who Lily was talking to since she was a year younger. It really didn't matter though.

Ciel was short, red-haired, green eyed, and had a spitball temper when provoked. She had made the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a Beater in her fifth year when her older cousin had graduated. She had her sights on playing professionally- maybe even for the Ballycastle Bats, her favorite team, or for Ireland's National Squad!

Artemis sat down with Ciel. "What's up?" the American girl asked, casually flipping her hair over her shoulder. She started ladling soup into her bowl.

"I was just checking on how you were doing," Ciel said, watching her carefully. Her grey eyes looked slightly red- possibly from crying, she thought. And all she had wanted to do was strike up a relationship with her… Hopefully she still isn't feeling overly emotional, Ciel thought. I'll just steer clear of anything that has to do with America.

"I'm fine, thank you," Artemis said with a smile. "Just had a spout of homesickness after Potions. I'll be fine though." She tore a hunk out of her roll of bread with her teeth.

"Potter says you do aerial gymnastics," Ciel said conversationally.

"Hm-hm…" Artemis said through a mouth of food. She was absolutely _famished_. Honestly didn't these English types know how to have a decent breakfast? She swallowed, and started, "Yeah, probably been doing it since I could ride a broom. Well, at least since my mother would let me on one." Moa was _not_ a big fan of brooms. Mainly because, according to the stories her aunts (Moa's two elder sisters) told Artemis it was because a certain boy back when she attended W.C.A.M. kept trying to look up her skirt when she was flying. Moa was not thrilled.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Parents can get a bit protective," Ciel agreed.

"Why do you ask, anyways?" Artemis said, tilting her head to the right.

"No reason," Ciel answered loftily.

Artemis raised an eyebrow.

"What is that Beater trying to talk you into?" James asked, taking a seat by Artemis.

"_Nothing_, Chaser!" Ciel said, exasperated. She frowned. "Honestly, you'd think that just because Artemis has made new friends in just a day she'll hate you or something."

Artemis felt a warm little feeling inside of her. Ciel considers _me her_ friend? Maybe Sirius and Remus were right… She heard her two friends beginning to argue over something that had to do with Quidditch.

"Anyways," she said, cutting in. "James, can you help me get to Transfiguration next period?

"Of course," the boy proudly replied, drawing himself up importantly. "I may have a certain place in my heart for a certain girl-"

"AKA, Lily Evans," put in Ciel.

James frowned. "Names need not be mentioned, youngin'."

"I'm off to Divination. Have fun with the psyco Artemis," Ciel said walking off.

Artemis checked her watch. "Isn't it a bit early? Class doesn't start for another twenty minutes at least."

"The divination tower is in probably the remotest corner of the castle possible. Most likely intentionally," James answered as Sirius, Remus, and Peter came over to sit across the table from him and Artemis.

Sirius pressed his fingers together, elbows resting on the table; his face the portrait of a very business-minded man. Remus rolled his eyes, giving the impression that in _his_ opinion, the whole business was a load of Hippogriff shit. Peter just looked bemused, patiently waiting for Sirius to bring the matter forward.

James waited, staring calmly across the table at his best friend, chin cupped in his hand as he rested his elbow on the table. Artemis in turn folded her hands under her chin and gave Remus a smile, followed by a questioning look. He sighed.

Sirius cleared his throat. "It has come to our attention-"

"You attention, my dear Padfoot," Remus corrected. "I'd like to say that this isn't my idea."

Sirius gave him a scathing look, then continued. "Anyways, we all have nicknames: Prongs, Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail, and James calls Lily "Evans", and I call her "Lils". Even though she hates it."

"So?" asked James impatiently, pushing his glasses up.

"_So_ obviously Artemis needs one as well!" Sirius exclaimed, gesturing at her.

"Do I get a say in this process at all?" Artemis asked, already predicting the answer.

"Of course not. Don't be ridiculous," James replied, getting all business. He turned to Sirius. "And, Padfoot, we can't just _decide_ on one, and discuss it. It's to be spur of the moment. And… Moony? What are you doing? Reading the Transfiguration book?"

"Bloody hell, we haven't even had class yet!" Sirius cried, attempting to pull it out of his friend's grasp.

Remus hit Sirius' shoulder. "Some of us aren't _experts_ already, you know." He shot very disapproving looks in James, Sirius, and Peter's directions.

James grinned sheepishly, Peter looked meek, and Sirius' mouth turned up into a toothy grin. "Don't worry, Moony, we still love you even if you have a problem with your transfiguration," Sirius said, throwing an arm around his friend.

"You'll have to excuse Mr. Moony," James explained in a loud whisper behind his hand to Artemis. "He gets a little pissy about these things sometimes."

"James Potter! Watch your language!"Lily reprimanded from five seats down his left.

"Of course, doll! Anything you say!" James called, and to Artemis' surprise, he sounded as if he meant it.

The rest of the lunch was spent in laughter, with the boys telling Artemis about some of Professor Minerva McGonagall's particularly dry comments to authority figures. It was apparent that they held the stern looking teacher in an iconic-like adoration. With about five minutes til class, the sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins headed over to the Transfiguration classroom.

"Oh, and by the way, Artemis," Remus whispered softly into her ear, stooping ever so slightly so she could hear, "As you may have already guessed, generally speaking, the Slytherins are not everyone's favorite group of people in the world. Just try and stay on their good side, particularly O'Deherty- he's a right nasty one when the mood takes him. You should be alright from most of their comments though, you're a pureblood, and they absolutely abhor, excuse the term, 'mudbloods.'"

"What about this Severus Snape fellow I heard about on the train?" she asked, slightly nervous.

"Snaps' fine," Remus said with a flick of his hand. "Tends to keep to himself though," then, dropping into an even lower whisper, he told her, "Honestly, I don't know what James has against him. Yes, he is a rather nasty pureblood if you get into deep conversation with him, but if you leave him to his books and dark arts… well, he's fine as a good veritasium potion, you know?"

Artemis nodded. As they entered the Transfiguration room, Lily came up from behind her, took her arm in hers, and steered her over to a desk. "Sit with me," Lily urgently said through her teeth. They sat in a corner up in front of the classroom. "Last year I had to sit with Belinda Frazer," Lily said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "Dumb as a cricket, that one. But nasty as hell."

James and Remus took the desk behind the girls as Brava and Ruby took the one next to them. Peter and Sirius sat at one as far away from James as possible. Artemis turned around and asked, "Why are Sirius and Peter sitting so far away from us?"

"McGonagall has forbidden Sirius and I to sit close together," James explained. "We figured it best to get off on her good side this year by moving away by ourselves. Obviously, in hopes of the ban being removed."

"Well, I must say, Mr. Potter, I certainly do appreciate the gesture," said the witch from behind James. The spectacled boy turned around to face the professor. "However, since I seriously doubt that you and Mr. Black can sit within a five foot radius of one another without causing mayhem, the ban shall be removed; it would most likely require an act of Merlin to get you two to behave during class," Professor McGonagall explained, with a touch of fun in her voice. She gave a brief smile, then walked forward to the front of the class. "As you can all doubtlessly tell and already know, we have a new student, Artemis Xenoi from the States. Needless to say, you are to treat her with the common courtesy and respect that is expected for all Hogwarts students." She gave a stern glance over at the Slytherins. Artemis felt fidgety. Must Professor McGonagall further draw attention to her? She just wanted to fit in without any gliches. "Now, let's begin. First of all, let me give my congratulations to you all for passing your O.W.L.S. I know they weren't easy, but I'm sure that you found you were all properly prepared, and are now ready to begin your N.E.W.T. classes. Even though your tests aren't until the end of your second year, it's never to early to start studying…" Professor McGonagall launched herself into a speech that lasted the entire class time. The students first started to listen attentively, but their interests gradually wandered.

James Potter gazed longingly at the back of Lily Evans' head, memorizing each strand of her rich red hair and really noticing how much thicker and longer it had become over the summer. Although in a low pony-tail, it reached to almost her mid-back, gently waving; its tonal range going from a flaming red to a deep color as it got closer to her scalp. James doodled "JP LE" on a scrap of parchment, accented with pictures of him and Sirius playing pranks on greasy Severs "Snivellus" Snape.

Remus Lupin hung on for a bit longer then his classmates, but James' doodling caught his eye. Hoping to get his friend engaged in a game of tic-tac-toe, he looked over the drawings. To his disappointment, James was still completely wrapped up in thoughts of Lily, as his scrawlings proved. Remus then cast a disgusted eye over a scratching of a crudely rendered James and Sirius (he could only tell who was who by James' glasses) pointing their wands at Snape (drawn with a large nose), who had sprouted chicken wings. Glancing back to the front of the classroom, he saw that McGonagall was now writing what appeared to be course aims of some sort on the board. Looking back quickly at Sirius and Peter's table, the handsome teenager flashed his friend a devilish looking smile, then returned back to a note that he was writing. Smiling back casually, Remus looked back forward, and started looking at the back of Artemis' hair, which was still down. This morning had somewhat shaken Remus, and he hoped Artemis had calmed down. He was finding that even though he had only known her a bit more then a day, he was very concerned about her well-being.

Lily Evans was not unaware of James' wistful gazing at the back of her head, frowning, she pair rapt attention t Professor McGonagall's speech. She might say something important. Lily was not that great of a Transfiguration student. Well, alright, she was pretty bad. She had only really managed to scrape by with help from her friend in the Ravenclaw house, Takehiko Byrne who was nothing short of a genius. James Potter though, she thought to herself, he's incredible at Transfiguration. Ruefully, she wondered how someone who goofed off so much could be that good at _anything_. Well, he was also an ace at Quidditch too, come to think of it. And practically _every_ other thing that he did. James Potter, Lily thought, was one of those damned people who didn't have to study at all, and would still be able to pass! She again felt his gaze on the back of her neck. Turning red, she busily copied what the Professor was writing on the board.

Sirius Black was currently engaged in writing a letter to Remus. So far, it read:

_Dear Mr. Moony,_

_Mr. Padfoot sends his greetings and hopes to find the aforementioned Mr. Moony in good-health, although that special time unfortunately draws near once again. Mr. Padfoot also wonders if Mr. Moony intends to tell Ms. Artemis Diana Xenoi about his ailment? Mr. Moony, it is of upmost importance to Mr. Padfoot, Wormtail, and Prongs that you have some experience in concern to the female sex before Mr. moony graduates from our beloved Hogy, Worty, Hogwarts._

_We request your presence in the dormitory at __twelve o'clock__ tonight to go over some changes to the Map. Mr. Prongs has already discovered a new passageway! There is also need to conference about what further mischief to play this year_

_Best wishes, yours truly,_

_Mr. Padfoot_

With that, Sirius magically sealed the letter and tucked it into the pocket of his robes. He leaned back to listen in on the rest of McGonagall's speech.

The aforementioned Ms. Artemis Diana Xenoi was currently fretting. Her mother's words were starting to ring clear in her head: first impressions are everything. Although her impression on the train had come off fairly well, Artemis still couldn't believe the break down she had had. What would everyone think? She really _was_ trying to assimilate in, and she did like her new friends an awful lot. Artemis still found it hard to believe she had broken down. She found herself wondering what Remus thought of her. She was _very_ concerned about his thoughts on the subject of her. He probably thinks I'm a silly "git", she thought, the English slang already weaving its way into her subconscious. Artemis shook her head to clear the thoughts, setting loose a ripple down her long hair which, unknownst to her, snapped Remus out of his gaze at her brown locks. Honestly know, it was ridiculous to wonder what a _boy_ thought anyways. Besides, the last thing she needed was to act all girly. To distract herself, she pulled out her quill and started sketching a very good drawing of Professor McGonagall on her parchment.

Peter Pettigrew was thinking how he could impress Ms. Gwenaelle Flavius of the Hufflepuff House. Now that she was his partner, he could finally get to talk to her on a semi-frequent basis. The pretty blonde had captured Peter's heart back in their second year when she had helped him through a Herbology class when his usual partner, Remus, was in the infirmary. He wished, for the thousandth time, that he could be like his friends James and Sirius: handsome, witty, athletic, funny, smart, and popular. Peter knew that the only reason he was so in on the scoop of so many things was because he had them for friends. Even Remus, in his own quiet way, had helped Peter, and gained his envy. Remus was such a… gentleman, peter decided. Quiet, booky, self-sacrificing by always putting his friends before his personal needs, brave, very intelligent, a prefect, and, even though Remus thoroughly denied it, very good looking. Peter wished he could have at least _one_ trait from one of his friends to help in his quest to get Gwen's attention. She was smart, pretty, and good-mannered. Peter knew she would need nothing short of a gentleman for a boyfriend, let alone a date for a Hogsmeade weekend. Well, he could do polite, his single mother had brought him up well. Thinking back to the train, he remembered James asking Artemis to help in his venture to get Lily's love, and the American agreeing. What if he asked Artemis? She would surely agree, Peter thought. After all, she was just as much his friend as James', and she appeared nice enough. His  mind set, Peter looked over Sirius' shoulder at the note he had written.

At last, class ended, and as the students quickly filed out of the door as McGonagall called out last minute homework assignments, a loud bang! filled the hallway, followed by a cackle.

"Peeves," moaned Remus as Brava jumped and gave a squeak.

Lily growled, "Damn it, I've had enough of that poltergeist; he needs to stop this nonsense." Determined, she walked forward to where the poltergeist was swinging from a chandelier, cackling gleefully. As she stepped forward, the overpowering smell of a Dungbomb hit her full blast. Coughing, she held a hand over her mouth, stepped back, and started yelling: "Get out, Peeves! This is the last straw, you hear me!"

"Hehehe… Silly red! You can't stop me! You're just a little student!" he mocked her. "A nasty little redhaired girl!" He bounced around the walls.

Frowning, Lily thought, and then calmly said, "I think I'll call the Red Baron on you."

Peeves gasped. "You wouldn't dare!"

Lily gave him a stern glare.

"You're kidding, right?"

"I kid you not. You have three counts, Peeves. Three…"

Before she had reached two, Peeves had took off through a wall. Professor McGonagall walked out of the classroom. "What's the hold-up here? Off to lunch now, all of you! Go on!" she herded the sixth years out.

As Artemis walked beside Remus, talking about class, the pair heard the nasty snickering of two Slytherin girls behind them. Turning around, Remus gave an inward groan: Midori Blaze and Belinda Frazer. "Lookie there, Belinda," Midori cried. "Lupin's got himself a girl-friend: hot off the American assembly line. What was your name again, Yank? We must've heard it about a million times already, the professors and staff thinking you're so great coming over from America to bless our humble little school."

"I think it went something like Arthur or Andrew," cackled Belinda. "It's definitely _not_ that girly- no figure at all! Straight hips, flat chest- must be a boy, but then again, no boy has a voice with that high of a pitch, except for maybe Pettigrew there," she jabbed a thumb in Peter's direction, who looked horror-stricken. Artemis' face blushed a bright red as her figure, well, lack-of, was taunted. So she was a late bloomer…

Remus, knowing he would get teased for months for doing so, put a protective arm around Artemis' shoulders. "Come on, Artemis," he said, not even glancing at the girls, whom Artemis was now staring at with a deep loathing. He steered her off for lunch, followed by the whistles and teasing of the two Slytherin girls. He looked down at her, and was somewhat shocked to see her looking, well… absolutely pissed off. Artemis was looking steadily ahead with a very intense gaze.

In her mind, Artemis was remembering some of the teasing that Ruth had given her for having an underdeveloped figure. That was friendly though, and generally people knew that Ruth was the only one allowed to mess with Artemis like that. Those girls didn't know that though, Artemis thought. Regardless, she had had it. She could hardly tolerate what bit she had seen of the overly voluptuous Scarlet when around Remus, and this, this was the last straw! However, she had vowed to her father to keep out of trouble, so she instead thought about how nice it felt to have Remus' arm around her for a _second_ time that day. Smugly, she thought of the jealous look Scarlet would have on her face when she walked into the Great Hall like this. Smiling, she looked up at Remus. "You're a good friend, you know that?" she told him, reaching back to tug at his stubby pony-tail.

Raising an eyebrow bemusedly, Remus gave her that simple smile she had grown to love seeing. "Likeiwse."

"By the way," Artemis said as they rounded he corer to the Great Hall, "What did you and the boys do with the flour sacks?"

Blanching, Remus softly swore. "They're up in the Common Room. I think it'll be okay though. Just say that the various animals are watching them. Everyone knows owls make good baby-sitters."

This, Artemis agreed, was quite true.

"Charms is next," Lily said, smiling smugly. Artemis, Brava and Ruby were sitting at a far end of the table together. Finally, my good subject, Lily thought.

"Do you like Charms?" Artemis asked.

"I love it!" Lily cried gleefully. "And Professor Flitwick is _very_ practical."

True to Lily's word, Flitwick did turn out to be very practical, along with very small and very enthusiastic about his subject. After taking roll, saying hello to Artemis with the usual, "Hope you're enjoying Hogwarts so far," and a brief congratulations about everyone passing their tests, they went straight into practicing some Charms they hadn'y used in awhile. It was the first time the Gryffindors had really done anything productive all day, and the whole house felt very good afterwards (with the slight help of some cheering charms as well). Dinner past uneventfully, and they filed up to the Astronomy Tower.

Finally, Artemis thought, echoing Lily's of a few hours ago, a class that I'm really good at! She climbed the steps next to Sirius, smelling the fresh air of the night and feeling a gently wind on her face as they reached the top. Loking up, Artemis saw familiar constellations and grinned broadly, reveling in it all. The night truly was her element, she thought.

Ugh, so sorry for the long-ass time between updating. I hit severe writers block. It was bad. Thank you for waiting though. If it happens again, feel free to nag at me a bit. Seriously, I would type like a sentence, and then die. Not happy. Sophie, could you please e-mail me some info about you (hair, eye, age, desired house, last-name, etc.)

The chapter was a bit short, and I apologize for that. But it just seemed a good place to end, and I really wanted to just get it out! My personal favorite part was going into the various students' heads during McGonagall's lecture. I had wanted to do some Slytherins as well, and maybe Ruby and Brava's. But I figured there's really not much, and Snape (the only one I really eriously considered) just needs to be his own mystery. Also, the story's not really about them, but about Artemis, Lily, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Gwen, and the Gryffindor Quidditch team (more is to come regarding them, trust me on this one.)

By and by, anyone who has a character that didn't get mentioned yet, don't worry- still working on it. I don't want your "cameo" to be just that. You will have a purpose, damnit! Until next chapter.


	8. On the Astromy Tower

**Chapter Eight: On the ****Astronomy****Tower******

Professor Sinistra was a tall witch that looked as if she was a recent Hogwarts Alumni. Unfortunately, although very knowledgable in her field, she wasn't much of a teacher, and even worse, decided that the students hadn't heard quite enough about how great it was to pass their O.W.L. tests so she gave another speech about that. Thankfully, they were outside, and the view was amazing on the tower. The sky had cleared, and Artemis could literally see millions of stars in the night sky. She started looking for various constellations and stars. However, as beautiful as the night was, that didn't keep Artemis from freezing. It was so much warmer in California! She huddled close between Sirius and Lily in the back of the group of students.

"Oh, Artemis, I completely forgot to introduce you, this is my friend Takehiko Byrne from the Ravenclaw house," Lily introduced a short Asian girl to Artemis.

Artemis and Takehiko reached across Lily to shake hands. "Nice to meet you," Artemis whispered.

"Likewise," Takehiko said with a grin. "How do you like Hogwarts so far?"

"Oh, it's great," Artemis truthfully answered. "A little chilly here though."

"Need an arm?" Sirius asked from next to her.

Artemis stuck her tongue out at him. "As if! I'm tough, I can handle it."

"Yeah right," Remus joked from beside Sirius. "Everyone knows that Californians- both wizards and muggles- are soft and laid-back." He grinned gently, giving her a wink.

"It'll be a miracle if she finishes anything!" James said from behind Artemis, poking her in the back of her neck.

"Ow! Cut that out!" she cried.

The group tried holding back laughter, as Professor Sinistra finished her speech, which turned out to be rather short, and she turned them loose to start mapping out the constellations Palvo and Vulpecula. Immediately, Artemis spotted them in the sky without even trying. She took a seat on the ground by a wall, and started mapping it out on her parchment, drawing her cloak closer for warmth. She made a mental note to bring warmer clothes up in the future.

Remus looked over at Artemis, as she calmly and efficiently labeled the constellations and their stars, with little reference to her book. He glanced up at the moon. It was getting full, he thought to himself, sighing. Of course, this was no surprise, as he closely monitored the moon's actions. But still, he was feeling doubly stressed with the start of a new term coming on, and the moon's almost spherical shape was no comfort.

"Moon gazing, Remus?" Artemis said from behind him on the ground by the wall.

"Huh?" he said, turning around, his cloak twirling around his slender frame. "Oh, yes. I suppose you could say I take a personal interest in it," he said with a slight smile. Remus came over and sat down next to Artemis, looking over her star chart. His eyes traveled down to see her bare legs sticking out from underneath her cloak, only covered by the grey socks that the Hogwarts girls wore. He whistled appreciatively before saying, "You certainly have it nailed, don't you?" Remus looked down at his chart.

Artemis shrugged, not being able to help but be a bit proud. Astrology _was_ her best subject, after all. "Well, yes, I suppose so," she answered, in turn looking over at Remus'. "You're not half-bad either."

"Well, thank you. Glad to have your approval," he joked, poking her with his finger.

"Oh, you wanna play rough, huh?" Artemis said, getting competitive. She jabbed him back in the shoulder. "Well, two can play at that game, Mr. Lupin!"

"Now, Ms. Xenoi, don't make me have to kick your ass," Remus replied, poking her back, and at the time time accidentally upsetting her ink bottle, spilling the contents onto her lap.

With a sharp intake of breath, Artemis quickly uprighted it, trying to keep the contents from getting everywhere. "Oh dear," she said, pulling out the kerchief Remus had given her earlier in the day.

Remus was lost. Embarrassed beyond belief at making a mess all over the American girl's robes and skirt, he sat there blushing so red that it was a blessing it was so dark out so that no one could see. All he could find himself saying was, "Sorry," and, "Just give me a sec, there's a spell to clean this," or, "I can't believe I was so clumsy, I'll make it up to you."

Artemis was searching her mind for the spell to clean things. She was alright at those little spells, but of course now she would have to forget them. _Reparo__?_ No, that was for fixing broken things… Meanwhile, the ink was running itself into her uniform, and she was starting to feel rather stupid sitting there with it all over herself. Thankfully, no one had noticed yet, buying her time. Also, she noted, it had missed her map, which was one small blessing for the night. "Ah yes, now I remember!" she said, snapping her fingers. "_Cleanis__ robes,"_ she said with an expert flick of her wand, instantly cleaning the ink off of them. Smiling at Remus, she said, "There, no harm done! Rather silly of us to loose our heads over a little spill like that anyways. We are, after all, a wizard and witch." She stood up and offered a hand to the still sitting Remus Lupin as Professor Sinistra dismissed them to go to their dormitories.

Remus sighed, then took her hand, letting her help pull him up. "Yes, it was, wasn't it?" he said, laughing. He was relieved Artemis hadn't freaked out like most girls would. She was a most sensible witch indeed. They walked back to the forms for a final time that night with their fellow Gryffindors, yawning as the day's activities began to take their toll on them.

-

Lily and Takehiko had been spying on Remus and Artemis as the night had progressed on the tower. "They are too cute together!" Takehiko said, a very uncharacteristic statement coming from the normally cool-headed Ravenclaw. "Does she really adore reading just as much as Remus?"

Lily nodded as she marked a star out. "Incredibly. Just last night she was asking me if Hogsmeade had a good book store to visit when the next weekend is."

"When is the next Hogsmeade weekend anyways?" Takehiko asked eagerly as Ruby and Brava showed up.

"Any of you care to make a wager on how soon those two hook up?" Ruby said, glancing over at Remus and Artemis.

Brava giggled. "Is he checking out her legs?" she asked, astounded.

"Remus, you dog!" Lily said, covering her mouth to contain her giggling.

-

Sirius, James, and Peter were giving their dear friend a bit more privacy. "Is Remus trying to flirt with her?" James asked, his ears aching to hear what the two were saying.

"He certainly didn't wait long, did he?" Peter said, openly looking at them.

"_Don't look at them_!" Sirius snapped. "Anyways, Prongs, the probability of Remus actually _knowing_ that he's flirting with a girl is so small, it's probably incalculable."

James nodded, casting Artemis and Remus a quick glance just as Remus spilled the ink all over Artemis. The three boys had to stuff fingers in their mouths and turn away to keep from laughing at their friend, who was currently floundering about, trying to get rid the ink.

"Oh dear, he certainly isn't tactful, is he?" James said. "He should try and take a few lessons from me," he said, grinning broadly.

Sirius and Peter exchanged glances and rolled their eyes. "Says the one who's constantly turned down by the one girl he's trying to get," Peter said.

"Honestly, James," Sirius sighed, flipping a strand of perfect black hair out of his eye. "You shouldn't be one to brag. I will try and talk to Mr. Moony about it later tonight though," he said as Professor Sinistra dismissed them.

_If possible, please review this chapter apart from the next one. I'm still trying to decide how much actual classroom interaction I want to have going on. Hogwarts seems to me to be a pretty no nonsense school, where there's not many classrooms where teachers let you run loose during lesson time (unlike my school.) Hence, it would lead to more little stuff during class- ie, note passing, making eyes, etc._


	9. Agenda

**Chapter Nine: Agenda**

Back in the boys' dormitory, Mr.'s Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs were holding a meeting to discuss news of the new term. The boys' eager young faces were sharply lit by candlelight- Remus' overly tired one, the light throwing into relief a few grey hairs in the front of his head; Peter's slightly pudgy one, the firelight playing off of his small, bright blue eyes; Sirius' too handsome to be true profile, the shadow adding effect to his already perfectly molded features; and James' simple features lightened by his mischievous grin and the light reflecting off of his rectangular lenses in his glasses.

"This meeting of the Magical Purveyors to Mischief is now in session," Mr. Moony said. "All items that wish to be brought to the floor are to be done so in an orderly fashion, with the knowledge that all on the board will be able to comment and discuss them."

"What's this about a new passageway discovered, Mr. Prongs?" Mr. Padfoot began. Mr. Moony and Mr. Wormtail leaned forward to hear the news.

"From behind the old humped witch. I didn't have time to see where it led, but I noticed a slight hole in the wall," Mr. Prongs reported.

"Should we put it on the map yet?" asked Mr. Wormtail.

Mr. Moony shook his head. "No, not quite yet. I vote that after the next full moon a search party is to be led forward for further investigation."

"I second that," Mr. Padfoot said.

"Third it," said Mr. Wormtail.

"Good, motion passed," Mr. Moony said. "Gentlemen, any other news to be put forth to the table?" he asked. Mr. Moony was the group elected moderator of these meetings.

"There is the matter of general mischief making," Mr. Padfoot brought forward.

Mr. Prongs rubbed his hands together, his lips moving up into a broad grin, not much unlike that of a stag's. "Oh yes, of course. And there is the new batch of first years to mess around with," Mr. Prongs reminded.

Moony frowned. "Mr. Prongs, Mr. Moony wishes to remind you that we made a promise last year not to terrorize any more first years after that poor girl last year had a minor fit of hysteria to wake up with small bugs in her bed."

"This is most true, and Mr. Prongs thanks Mr. Moony for reminding him."

"What about the seventh years?" asked Mr. Padfoot.

"Mr.'s Wood, Johnson and Ms.'s Casey and Fitzgerald would have Mr. Prongs' blood on the Quidditch field," Mr. Prongs reminded Mr. Padfoot. "However, Mr. Prongs moves that on the last day of school a prank shall be made on them before they graduate. Something for them to remember us by."

"Mr. Moony shall put it in the records," Mr. Moony noted, scribbling something down on the parchment.

"Mr. Wormtail wishes to know who else Mr. Padfoot and Mr. Prongs have plans to prank this year."

"The usual, our dear Mr. Wormtail. Mr. Severus Snape, Ms. Bellatrix Black, those dolts Crabbe and Goyle, and Mr. Flint- with compliments from Mr. Wood on that last one," Mr. Padfoot replied.

Mr. Moony frowned. "Always Mr. Severus Snape?" he asked. "Mr. Moony thinks that Mr. Pafoot and Mr. Prongs are becoming too predictable. However, Mr. Moony knows that he cannot change their plans, so he will not say any more. Is there anymore business to be put forth tonight?"

No one said anything.

"Then this meeting is adjourned. Goodnight all," Remus said, getting up.

"Wait, Remus!" Sirius said. "James and I have some personal business we'd like to bring up with you.

"I thought no one had anything else to talk about?" Remus said, a bit nervously.

"Well, no more business. What we want to talk to you about is your affiliation with young Ms. Artemis," James said.

"What about her?" Remus said, raising an eyebrow. He started to change into his pajamas.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Remus? Honestly, you can be such a dolt sometimes. Haven't you noticed how you've been behaving around her? After only two days, nonetheless."

"What do you mean? I've been acting towards her just like anyone else," he said.

"Yeah right," James scoffed.

"Quiet, James," Sirius said to his best friend.

"You may have been acting the same," Sirius said. Yeah right, he thought. Acting the same my arse! "But what about what you've been _feeling?_" he asked.

Remus, bare chested with just his boxers on, and a shirt halfway buttoned up stared back at Sirius, totally blank faced, as if his friend was speaking another language. A few minutes passed as Sirius patiently waited for Remus to reply. James fidgeted, and Peter walked off to use the bathroom.

Emer hooted from her perch before flying silently out of the open window. Finally, unable to hold it in any longer, James burst out, "Oh, Merlin's beard, Remus! It's so obvious you have a crush on her!"

Sirius groaned, slapping his forehead. "James, you are such an idiot sometimes!" he cried as Remus stormily walked over to his bed and drew the drapes around his bed with a snap.

"What?" James said.

"I'll tell you about it later," Sirius said, starting to change into his pajamas as well.

"No, tell me now!" James demanded, grabbing Sirius' shoulder.

Sirius sighed, then pulled his friend over to a corner of the room away from Remus' bed In a low whisper he said, "You know perfectly well how stubborn Remus can get," he said. "He'll even deny things to himself sometimes, like that he has any real friends, even though he has some of the best in the world- and I'm not just talking about the two of us and Wormtail," he said, giving James a look. "Also, you know how with his _condition_ he's not letting himself ever get too close to anyone. If you had let him admit he liked her to us by himself, things would be much, much easier. However, like the tactless moron you can be, you had to do it for him." Sirius cast a look over at Remus' bed. "It'll be a miracle if he lets anyone know before this year is _over_ that he likes her like _that_."

James just made a small "Oh," as Sirius walked over to brush his teeth in the small sink located in their dorm. James quickly followed him over, and whispered, "How do you know so much about Moony? I didn't know you could read people this well," he said.

"It's not hard, James," Sirius growled from around his toothbrush. He spat, then rinsed it down the sink, turning off the tap after he had rinsed his toothbrush. He took a comb and pulled some knots out of his glossy hair. He turned to look at his best friend. "All you do is just pay attention to how he reacts and behaves about certain things, and then all is good and well," Sirius explained.

"You should consider that Muggle practice of psychology," James said as he and Sirius began changing.

Sirius raised an eyebrow, then laughed. It sounded like a sharp bark to James' ears. "Oh my, James, but you are a riot sometimes! Goodnight!"

_This was really fun to write! Although, a bit of a pain to decide how to have them talk, since I didn't know whether or not to have it be "normal" or "classy". I think it finished well though, and Remus reacted as one would expect him to under pressure._


End file.
